


King of Iron

by SilverHyena



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Everyone and their Grandma is a background character, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 15:57:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20361193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHyena/pseuds/SilverHyena
Summary: After being betrayed by his father's oldest friend, Tony Stark is forced to flee his kingdom and take refuge in Asgard.  However, his past eventually catches up to him when he's attacked by an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.  This sets events into motion and with the help of Thor and a few others, Tony moves to reclaim the throne Obadiah Stane stole from him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because apparently I didn't have enough stories I was working on. This time though, I thought it'd be fun to have one where I played around with popular pairs (and still put ThorQuill in there because that is my life now)
> 
> I don't know how dark I'm going to make this yet. Thus, the chose not to use archive warnings. If you've got an opinion on that, let me know.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Stephen closed his eyes and blocked out all the sounds around him the same way he'd done on a daily basis for the past hundred years. These meditation sessions allowed him to oversee the world's events, past, present, and future. To some extent, Stephen didn't see the point. With the exception of a few cataclysmic events, the Sanctum maintained a strict no interference policy. So, despite all of the wars, plagues, famines, and other miscellaneous horrors happening on a daily basis, all Stephen was allowed to do was watch. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the usual onslaught of images. However, this time something different happened.

A bald woman with elven like features appeared before him in a set of yellow robes. He'd met her a few times before, once when he first started searching for the sanctum, once when he joined the sanctum, and one final time to teach him a bit of magic. She referred to herself as the Ancient One. "Hello, Stephen," she said with a smile, "it's been a long time."

"That was your choice. It's not like I've gone anywhere."

"True enough," she said, turning away from him. She started walking and Stephen followed. "I gave you the information you needed and you've flourished since then. There was no need to interfere further."

"But now there is?"

She stopped and looked at him. "I'm afraid so. In fact, the very reason I led you to the Sanctum so long ago was so that you might change the course of events about to transpire."

"You're telling me that I am the key to stopping the next cataclysm?"

"One of the keys, yes."

"But I haven't seen anything like that during my meditations."

"That's because you aren't seeing far enough ahead. The things you do now are what will give you a fighting chance in the future, but it will cost you a great deal."

"But not doing it will cost me just as much, right?"

The Ancient One smiled, "in a different way."

Stephen sighed and crossed his arms. He wished she'd be less cryptic. "What do I need to do?" he asked.

"Find the lost king and help him reclaim his throne."

"That isn't a lot to go on."

"Unfortunately, I can't give you much more. I will leave you with this, however," the Ancient One said, pressing her pointer finger to Stephen's forehead.

Pictures flooded his mind. He saw a massive humanoid creature with green skin raging in a dungeon, a beautiful woman with red hair navigating a masquerade ball, an archer stopping a carriage on the road, a young man with a round shield at his side speaking with a middle aged woman at a campfire, a muscular man cutting his way through a swarm of enemies with a mighty axe, and, finally, a dark haired man with a bit of facial hair being crowned king.

Stephen opened his eyes. Sunlight filtered through the Sanctum's windows as a chime sounded with the wind. He had his leads. Now he just had to chase them down.

\-----------------------

Tony woke with a start as roughly a gallon of cold water splashed across his face and upper torso. In the confusion, he accidentally kicked one of the blondes sleeping beside him. It took him a moment to process the whole situation. He was hung over and laying naked in a pile of hay. Putting that together with the fact that he'd been sleeping next to three others who were similarly naked, he concluded that he'd gotten a little wild at last night's festival.

"You look like an ass," the dwarf, Eitri, said as he looked down at his apprentice with disdain. Judging by the empty bucket under his arm, he was the one who'd dumped the water on Tony. "You were supposed to meet me at the Smithy an hour ago."

"Right, right. Sorry about that," Tony said, sitting up.

"Cut him a little slack, Eitri," came Thor's voice from beside Tony. Tony had to do a double take. Apparently Thor had been one of the blondes from earlier. Having made such a grave mistake, Tony looked at the other two more closely to confirm that, yes, they were indeed women. "Yesterday was a festival day."

"But today is not," Eitri responded harshly, "which means it's a work day and that Tony should be helping me out at the shop."

"Just give a moment to get myself together, alright?" Tony asked. All this back and forth was not making his headache any better.

Eitri sighed, but let up. "Meet me at the shop as soon as you can," he said before taking his leave.

Tony turned to Thor and frowned. "So... Last night. Did we... you know?" he asked.

"If we did, I have a feeling you'd know it," Thor said with a grin.

Well, that was true. Tony supposed the fact that his backside wasn't sore was somewhat reassuring. It didn't mean they hadn't done other things though. Still, Tony felt like he'd dodged a crossbow bolt. Thor was a good friend and attractive to boot, but Tony did not want to deal with that sort of awkwardness between them. It was bad enough that they seemed to have had sex in the same general vicinity as each other.

With all the talking going on, the two women started waking up. It was clear to Tony now that they were a set of twins from the village. He'd be sure to get an earful from their father if he'd ever learned of this. Of course, with Thor involved maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Having your daughter favored by one of the Princes of Asgard wasn't exactly a bad thing. Having a daughter involved with a foreigner like Tony on the other hand...

"Thank you for last night," Thor said, kissing his twin's hand gently, "I don't remember it, but I'm sure it was lovely." She smiled in response and scooted closer so that her breasts were pressing against Thor's arm. Soon enough, the two were all over each other. If Tony didn't leave soon, he'd have to bear witness to Thor's escapades sober. He didn't think he could handle that right now.

He looked at his twin who wore a rather disappointed look on her face. That was about what Tony expected. "Um, hey," Tony said, "I'm sorry, but I've got to run..." She didn't seem too bothered by that. He figured she'd hoped that she'd be the one who wound up with Thor last night. Tony quickly put on his clothes and gave tried giving her one last goodbye before rushing off to the smithy.

When he got there, Eitri was already hard at work. He grunted in acknowledgement when he saw Tony and then turned back to his work. Tony figured he'd better get started on polishing the weapons they had on display. As Eitri was in a bad mood, he probably wouldn't be teaching Tony anything new today.

It had been a couple of years since Tony had come to Asgard now. Making the shift to a peasant lifestyle hadn't exactly been easy. Still, he was able to take a certain pride in it. Back at the castle, everyone had waited on him hand and foot. Now everything he had he had because he'd earned it. Working as a black smith had felt like a natural fit for him too. All in all, this life was pretty respectable.

"Hey," Eitri spoke up after an hour or so. He stopped hammering away at the sword he was working on for a moment and looked at Tony.

"What is it?"

"Just... Be careful."

"About what?" Tony asked with a frown.

"Don't forget that you aren't actually one of them," Eitri explained, "the Asgardians may let you live here, but if trouble ever comes your way... They won't have your back."

"Thor is different," Tony said.

"Maybe," Eitri admitted, "but I wouldn't count on that."

\-----------------------

Tony was more than ready to hit the bed when he got home that evening. With a yawn, he opened his door and headed towards the bedroom. It was on his way there, however, that he noticed something was off. On the kitchen table was a sheet of parchment. As far as he remembered, it hadn't been there the day before. He changed his course and headed over to the table to inspect it.

The parchment was blank. He considered turning it over to investigate more thoroughly when he heard a quiet sliding sound.

If he'd reacted a second later, the assassin would have run him through with a sword. Instead, Tony managed to stumble out of the way as the blade sunk into the wood of the table. The assassin seemed undaunted. He pulled the sword back and then turned towards Tony, giving the blacksmith's apprentice a clear view of his attacker. The assassin was a young man with long dark hair. The bottom half of his face was covered up, but the metal arm gave the assassin's identity away. Everyone had heard of the Winter Soldier back in Tony's homeland.

Tony darted towards the front door, but the Winter Soldier cut him off. He charged forward and took another swipe at Tony. Tony backed up, avoiding the swing by an uncomfortable centimeter. Shit. Tony had no idea how he was going to get out of this one. He put some more distance between him and his would-be-assassin as he tried to figure out his next move.

Luckily, Thor figured it out for him. Hearing a commotion, Thor knocked the door open and ran inside, his weapon, Stormbreaker, at the ready. The Winter Soldier ducked out of the way and reconsidered his options as Thor placed himself between him and Tony. Apparently, fighting Thor wasn't worth the risk as the Winter Soldier instead chose to retreat through one of Tony's windows. "Are you alright?" Thor asked, turning to Tony with a grave expression on his face.

"Y-yeah," Tony said, "thanks to you. Amazing timing, by the way."

"I just got lucky," Thor frowned, "that assassin isn't finished with you though. He'll be back."

"I know..."

"We need to hunt him down. I'll talk to my father. We'll get a group of warriors together and get to the assassin before he gets to you."

"Thor," Tony sighed, "I don't know if..."

Thor wasn't listening. "Come with me," he ordered.

Tony followed him. He wasn't surprised when Thor took him directly to his father, Odin, King of Asgard. Thor proceeded to explain what happened and then requested that they do something about it. Odin sat on his throne, his expression revealing nothing as he listened to his son speak. When Thor finished, Odin finally spoke. "I will not risk Asgardian lives protecting an outsider."

"Tony isn't an outsider," Thor argued, "he lives in Asgard the same as the rest of us."

"That does not make him one of us," Odin said. "We have tolerated his presence, yes, but that was before he brought danger to our front door." At this, Odin turned to Tony. 

"You are no longer welcome in Asgard. I will give you time to collect your things, but I want you gone before sunrise."

"This is wrong, father," Thor growled, "not to mention cowardly!"

"Silence!" Odin said, raising his voice threateningly, "my decision is final. I will not hear another word out of you."

Thor clenched his fists and angrily walked away. Tony politely excused himself and headed back home. He supposed thinking that he could settle down in Asgard forever was naive. His past was catching up to him. When he approached Eitri's shop, he decided to stop in. He might as well give the news to the dwarf himself.

"Did you forget something?" Eitri asked, looking up from behind the counter as Tony entered.

"No," Tony started, "I... Well, I was just attacked by an assassin and Odin kicked me out of Asgard. Basically, I won't be showing up tomorrow."

"You must think I was born yesterday if you expect me to believe that," Eitri said with a chuckle. When Tony didn't have a clever retort, Eitri reconsidered. "That wasn't a joke, was it?"

"I said it like it was, but no," Tony said.

Eitri crossed his arms and sighed. "Do you know where you're going to go now?"

"No."

"I wish I had a recommendation for you, but Asgard is the best place I've found." Eitri went over to the wall and pulled down a sword. "Here. At least take this. If you can't find a safe place... Well, at least you'll be able to protect yourself."

"Thanks, Eitri," Tony said, "I won't forget what you taught me."

"You'd better not. You'll be one of the greatest blacksmiths out there one day if you can just stop fooling around."

Tony said his final goodbyes and finished heading home. He hesitated at the door, a little nervous about entering after the attack. Still, he had to go in if he was going to grab what he needed for the journey ahead. It'd be hard to make do with just a sword. Tony made a mental list of everything and then entered. He quickly collected anything he thought might be useful and then headed back outside. To his surprise, Thor was waiting for him.

"Well, are you ready to go?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to come with me," Tony pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sure," Thor said, "but I don't care. You're my friend and I'm not about to let an assassin kill you. Besides, if we take care of the problem, then my father will have no reason to banish you."

Somehow, Tony didn't things would be that simple. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure," Thor said, patting Tony on the shoulder.

"I don't even know where I'm going."

"We'll work that out as we go."

Tony wished he had Thor's confidence. Either way, he was glad he wasn't in this alone.

\-----------------------

After scouting the perimeter, Steve headed back to his and Meredith's campsite. He caught her humming to herself again as she cooked some stew over the fire. He'd always kind of liked her songs. They were never really meant for him, but she allowed him to hear her anyway. "Someone's in a good mood," Steve commented as he approached.

"I am," she said with a smile as she looked up, "but I'm also a little sad."

"Why?"

"You know that lead I got? It sounds promising, but..."

"But what?"

"It takes me in the opposite direction you're going."

That hit Steve harder than he'd thought it would. They'd been travelling together for ages now, both on the search for the person most important to them. He'd always known that this was a possibility, but during their travels together he'd come to think of Meredith as a mother of sorts. It had gotten to the point where he was actually a little jealous of the son she traveled the world looking for. He couldn't drop everything and go with her this time though. The lead he had on his childhood friend from the orphanage was one of the most promising ones he'd had in a long time. He had to keep heading towards Asgard. "I guess this will be our last night together for awhile then, huh?"

"Are you going to be alright on your own?"

"I'll have to be. If your lead is good, you can't ignore it."

She nodded solemnly. "If you're ever lonely, you can just hum that tune I always sing. It'll be like I'm there with you."

"That sounds a little embarrassing."

"You've always been too serious," Meredith smiled. She stirred the pot of stew and added, "I'll be heading towards Knowhere. If you finish tracking down your lead, maybe you can catch up."

"I'll try," Steve said with a nod.

The evening proceeded as normal. They shared a delicious meal and chatted into the night as they admired the stars. Once they'd had their fill of that, the got into their bedrolls and fell fast asleep. When morning rolled around, Meredith was already gone. Steve was okay with her not saying goodbye. This way, it still felt like they'd see each other again one day.

Steve picked up his things and tried humming Meredith's tune. He stopped after a few notes though, feeling embarrassed. He'd work on it later. Maybe. For now, he had to focus on his own mission. He had to find Bucky.


	2. Chapter 2

"I was wondering where you'd gone off to," King Stane said with a smile as he found Natasha overlooking the city from one of the castle's many balconies.

"I just thought I'd get some fresh air," Natasha said with a pleasant smile. "I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you."

"You could never inconvenience me, my dear," he replied, approaching her. He touched her cheek and then brushed some her hair out of her face. The gesture was clearly meant to be affectionate. He'd been getting more handsy with her lately and Natasha did not like it. Of course, she couldn't let him know that. It was dangerous to defy the King. Stane had proven that much when he'd gone after her friend, Clint, for openly speaking against him ascending the throne. Clint had made it out of the castle with his life, but now he was forced to live as an outlaw.

"I'm sure that's not true, but you are kind to say so."

"You don't seem to be busy at the moment. I wonder if you'd be interested in taking a walk with me in the garden."

"Of course, my king," Natasha replied. She didn't revel in the company, but when she humored him, he talked, and when he talked, she got information that she could pass along to Clint. Thinking of this task as a way to keep her friend alive made the whole ordeal more bearable.

He offered her his arm and she took it. Together they walked towards the gardens. "I trust all is well with your majesty?" Natasha asked.

"Quite well," Stane responded, "my army has done a magnificent job rounding up any non-humans within our border and driving them out. Soon, Ferrum will be a pure land-- free of the polluted blood of any undesireables."

It was disgusting how many nobles felt that this was a good thing. She took solace in the thought that some of them only supported the decree out of fear, but there were still plenty of them that actually agreed. "There hasn't been any resistance?"

"Oh, there are always those that try to resist, but they're dealt with easily enough with a sword to the gut. Once you kill one or two, the rest usually fall in line." Natasha accidentally dropped her guard for a moment and frowned. Stane noticed. "You feel sorry for them?"

"I suppose I do," Natasha replied carefully. There was no use denying it so she played it out. "But they chose their fate when they resisted you. It's only natural that there would be consequences."

"That's right," Stane replied, seemingly pleased with her answer. "There are consequences for resisting me." He pat her hand affectionately, but she didn't need the extra gesture to get his meaning. Natasha wondered how much longer she could get away without responding to his advances.

\-----------------------

Clint watched the road from a relatively hidden position high in the boughs of a large tree. This routine was all to familiar to him these days. Over the past few months, him and the other members of his small company had escalated their attacks on the nobility, becoming a real thorn in Obadiah Stane's side. He was sure there would be a reckoning at some point, but he didn't really care. Death was a small price to pay to feel like he was doing something to make Stane answer for what he'd done. Besides, if he was ever in real trouble, he was sure Nat would give him a heads up.

Clint caught sight of some movement in the bushes below. Mantis was giving him the signal. Time to go to work then. Clint made his way down from the tree and walked into the middle of the road as the carriage Mantis had spotted earlier came to a stop. There was a time when the carriage drivers looked more curious than alarmed, but that time had long since past. Clint had a reputation and it wasn't exactly a merciful one. "Get down," Clint ordered, pointing his bow at the man. The driver didn't immediately obey. His hands shook nervously as he debated his options. 

To make it a little easier for him to decide, Clint whistled, signaling Groot. The sentient tree like creature stepped out into the open and extended his branches so that they wrapped themselves around the carriage's wheels, locking the vehicle in place.

"Now, let's try this again," Clint said, "get off the carriage or I will shoot you in the head."

The man nodded, cooperating quickly this time. Clint had him put his arms behind his head and lay on the ground. "You got him, Rocket?" Clint asked, looking up to where his third companion was perched in the trees.

"Yeah, I got him," Rocked replied with a threatening snarl. The raccoon kept his crossbow trained on the driver as Clint went to check the carriage. 

When he opened the door, a noble lunged at him with a dagger. Clint sidestepped the attack with ease and let the noble fall face first into the mud. Clint then pressed his foot into the man's wrist, causing him to let go of the dagger. "I'll take that," Clint said, bending over and scooping up the dagger, "before you hurt yourself." Clint tucked it into his belt and then looked inside the carriage. There weren't any other people to worry about, but there was a large chest sitting on one of the seats. It could be their lucky day. Of course, Clint had been a bit wary of chests ever since someone in Stane's employ had gotten the idea to stuff a poisonous snake in one as a trap. If Natasha hadn't sent him a letter warning him, that encounter may have ended quite differently. 

"Well, we'll be taking that," Clint said, removing the chest from the carriage. Drax came out of his hiding spot and took it off Clint's hands. The assist was more than welcome as the chest was kind of heavy. Clint turned his attention back to the carriage and started looking for any hidden compartments. He found a few small treasures tucked away and added them to their collected loot. Once he decided he'd found everything he was going to find, he went back to the noble. "We'll be taking your clothes as well."

The noble huffed, but got to his feet and took off his coat. "You'll pay for this, Barton," the noble threatened. Barton, huh? So this guy probably knew him from back when he was a noble himself. Clint couldn't say he remembered this guy-- not that that was out of the ordinary. As far as nobles went, Clint had been a pretty terrible one. He couldn't stand the hypocritcal pomp and backstabbing nature of court. "King Stane will see to that, just like he saw to your family."

"You should shut up now," Drax advised.

"I will not," the noble growled, apparently excited that he'd found a way to get under Clint's skin. He was going to regret that in about two seconds though. "Your bitch and your children deserved what they got. I only wish that they suffered more!"

As soon as Drax took the coat from the guy, Clint raised his bow and fired an arrow into the man's neck. The man's fingers went to his throat as he gasped for air. He tried removing the arrow, but only succeeded in widening the wound. Blood leaked down his neck as Clint stared at him, no hint of emotion on his face. With one last twitch, the noble died. Clint moved on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Groot," he said. Groot didn't need further instructions. He recalled his roots and freed up the carriage. To the driver, Clint said, "you're free to go."

"T-thank you, but..." the driver looked at the noble's body.

"You go without him," Clint said, guessing what the driver was getting at, "he gets to rot in the middle of the road."

The driver didn't protest further. He got back on the carriage and quickly rode away as the rest of Clint's company went to his side. "You okay, Barton?" Rocket asked, "'cause I get it, but what went down was still a bit extreme."

"Had he spoken about my family that way, I would have done the same," Drax said.

"I'm fine," Clint said, "let's get this stuff back to the hide out and figure out what we got our hands on."

\-----------------------

Bruce curled up on the cell floor, his entire body wracked with pain from the experiments Arnim Zola had put him through earlier that day. He couldn't take much more of this. "Now, now, Banner," Zola said, "we can't have you giving up on me just yet. There are more experiments we must get through before the day is done." There wasn't an ounce of sympathy in his tone. In fact, the whole thing had been said with a sickening glee.

Bruce wasn't even sure what he'd done to deserve this. He'd worked for the previous king as his court alchemist, but he hadn't exactly done anything to challenge Stane's rule. He hadn't even had the chance. As soon as Zola and his comrades started working with Obadiah Stane, he'd been thrown into the dungeon. Maybe Zola, as a fellow alchemist (though, Bruce was loath to call him that), was intimidated by him? It was the only reason Bruce could think of.

"Let's try this serum, shall we?" Zola asked almost giddily.

Luckily, Bruce got a bit of a reprieve as Zola's boss, a robed man wearing a red skull mask entered the room. "Any interesting developments?" he asked.

"A number of them," Zola replied, "with King Stane's resources, my research has been able to expand exponentially."

The Red Skull curiously peeked into Bruce's cell. Bruce met his eyes with a defiant glare. "It looks like this one still has a bit of life in him," the Red Skull commented, "you haven't been hard enough on him."

"That's because I was saving the best for last," Zola smiled, raising the serum he'd intended to use next.

Another man walked in, sparing Bruce for the second time. This one he'd learned was Brock Rumlow. "Great leader," Rumlow said, addressing the Red Skull.

"What is it?"

"The Winter Soldier sent a message. He found Tony Stark in Asgard. His first attempt was thwarted, but he intends to continue the hunt."

"Finally," the Red Skull said, "I will sleep much easier once we have dealt with Stane's little oversight."

"Do you want me to send the twins after him as well?" Zola asked.

"No. The Winter Soldier should be able to complete that particular task on his own. I'd rather send the twins to deal with our highwayman problem."


	3. Chapter 3

"We should probably come up with an actual plan," Tony commented as Thor threw another log on the fire. The two had made it a fair distance away from Asgard, but with no particular destination in mind, it was hard to call that progress.

Thor grunted in agreement. "We need to take out the assassin somehow. He'll probably track us wherever we go so we should find somewhere defensible. Somewhere we can set up some sort of trap for him. Then, when he's dealt with, we can both go back to Asgard."

"...I can't go back to Asgard, Thor," Tony said quietly. He wished he could think of a scenario where going back to Asgard with Thor was a good idea, but he knew better than that.

"Why not?" Thor frowned.

"If what I know about the guy who attacked me is true, he works for a cult that calls themselves Hydra. He's probably sent word that he's found me by now. So, basically, even if we do manage to kill the Winter Soldier, there will still be people after me. Me going back to Asgard would put your people in danger. Like your father said."

"Then we just need to take out this Hydra group as well."

Tony snorted. "You say that like that's a reasonable idea."

"Would you rather run for the rest of your life?" Thor asked, his tone serious. His suggestion hadn't been the joke that Tony had taken it for.

"Taking them on is impossible. The only thing we'd accomplish is getting ourselves killed."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"Then we find allies. Strong allies that--"

"You don't get it!" Tony said, raising his voice, "I'm not talking about a small cult. These guys have people everywhere and they're well connected. They're allied with a king, Thor! A king! A king that is hellbent on having me eliminated!"

Thor went quiet, sinking into his own thoughts.

"Aren't you going to ask?" Tony asked with a sigh.

"No," Thor said, shaking his head, "I'm not going to force you to tell me why they're hunting you. I knew you had some kind of past when you came to Asgard but, until you choose to tell it to me, it's none of my business."

"That's not fair," Tony said with a sad smile. Thor should have been angry at him for keeping secrets all these years. No one should be this accepting.

"You're my friend, Tony. That's the one fact I need to know."

"Fuck you."

"You wish I'd fuck you," Thor retorted with a grin.

"You're not my type," Tony laughed.

"I'm pretty sure I'm everybody's type."

"A guy as ugly as you? No way."

"Tell you what, next town we go to we'll ask around. I bet you every single person there will say I'm more attractive than you."

"You sure you want to make that bet? You can't count on your status as a Prince of Asgard where people don't actually know you. You do realize that, right?"

Thor opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short when the two of them heard the crunching sound of a twig being stepped on. Thor immediately went for Stormbreaker, while Tony pulled his sword. He'd thought that the Winter Soldier would at least wait a day or two before making another attempt on his life.

"I apologize," a man with short, blond hair said, stepping into the light and putting his hands up in a non-threatening manner, "I didn't mean to spook you two. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions, if that's okay."

Tony and Thor exchanged glances. "I suppose," Tony said, not lowering his sword. Thor kept Stormbreaker at the ready as well.

"I'm trying to find someone. A friend of mine from a long time ago. I don't know exactly what he looks like now, but he has dark hair, light skin, and blue eyes."

"That's not a lot to go on," Thor commented.

"Trust me, I know. Still... From what I've gathered, he moves around a lot. He'd be an outsider pretty much anywhere he'd go."

One particular person came to mind taking that detail into account. "He doesn't happen to be a lethal assassin, does he?" Tony asked.

The man frowned. "You're talking about the Winter Soldier?"

"That's right."

"Honestly... Maybe. That's the lead I've been following up on."

"Yeah, well, if that's the case, your friend is a psychopath."

"He's not a psychopath," the man said defensively, "he's just confused. Or something. Look, I don't even know if he actually is the Winter Soldier. If he is, something happened and he needs my help."

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't. He seems to be very good at his job of MURDERING PEOPLE."

"I don't know about that. He failed to murder you," Thor pointed out.

"You're his target then?" the blond man asked, eyes narrowing in on Tony.

Tony grumbled to himself. He hadn't been planning on revealing that to this guy. Of course, he should have expected Thor to bring it up after his last comment. "In case you're wondering, I haven't done anything to deserve being murdered," Tony said, arms crossed, "your boyfriend is the one in the wrong here."

"He's not..." the man trailed off, blushing slightly. Uh huh. That was how it was, after all. Maybe this guy didn't realize his own feelings yet, but Tony saw it clearly. "I wouldn't just assume that you were guilty," he continued, straightening his stance, "I've been tracking the Winter Soldier long enough to know that the things he does aren't... good. But that's exactly why I need to meet with him. I need to find out what happened and get him to stop."

"Say, Tony..." Thor looked Tony in the eye, asking his question without actually saying a word.

"No," Tony replied, "I don't trust him."

"Three people stand a better chance than two," Thor pointed out, "and if they're really friends, maybe he can get the Winter Soldier to leave you alone."

"We should travel together," the blond man said, "I'm going to be following you anyway. After all, if the Winter Soldier is hunting you, being around you is my best chance of finding him."

Tony groaned. He supposed he didn't really have much of a choice then. "You promise you won't suddenly side with him and help him kill me?" Tony asked, rubbing his forehead.

"You have my word."

"Fine then," Tony said. He supposed that was the best guarantee he was going to get. He just hoped this new partnership didn't end with him dead. "I guess we better introduce ourselves then. I'm Tony and this big guy here is Thor."

"My name is Steve. Thank you for letting me join up with the two of you."

"Just know that Thor won't hesitate to cut your head off if you try anything funny!"

"What's he going to do, Tony?" Thor asked, "if you haven't noticed, all he has is a shield."

"A shield I can actually do a lot with," Steve said, pulling it from off his back to show it to them, "Tony is right to be cautious."

"You fight with just this?" Tony asked.

Steve nodded.

"You're a weird one."

"Maybe. But I don't think you'll regret having me along."

"I hope that's true. Anyway, we were about to eat. Have you had anything yet?"

"No. I haven't."

"Then take a seat and join us," Thor said, clapping their new companion on the back, "you can help us come up with a plan of action while we eat."

"I guess that's true, huh?" Tony commented as he took a seat next to their campfire. He turned to Steve and admitted, "we don't exactly have a destination in mind."

"In that case, can we head towards Knowhere?" Steve asked immediately.

"You have business there or something?"

"A friend of mine was headed there. I'd like to see if I can catch up with them."

"Another friend, huh? Not another assassin, I hope."

"No, not another assassin. She's... Well, I guess I'd call her a bit of a free spirit."

"A woman, huh? Is she cute?"

"Yes, but she's old enough to be my mom."

"That's not necessarily a deal breaker."

"Knowhere is supposed to be a pretty sketchy place though, right?" Thor interjected, "from what I've heard, it's basically a safe haven for outlaws."

"All the more reason to go and make sure our new friend's friend is alright."

"You just want to get a look at her," Thor groaned.

"You can't tell me you aren't curious."

"I'm more concerned about my friend's safety."

"Anywhere we go is going to be dangerous," Tony said, "Knowhere might actually be safer than most places right now because I doubt the people after me would predict that I'd go there. Besides, we'll stay on guard if we know we're surrounded by outlaws. We might get too comfortable if we wind up somewhere else."

"Well, if it's where you want to go, i guess I'm okay with that," Thor sighed.

"Thank you," Steve said, "my friend can handle herself well enough, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried at all."

"So it's settled," Tony declared, "we'll start heading towards Knowhere in the morning. And, hopefully, we'll deal with the whole Winter Soldier matter before we get there."

\-----------------------

Steve had offered to take the first watch, but Tony and Thor quickly declined the offer. They didn't say it, but he was sure it's because they didn't completely trust him yet. He didn't take it personally. If Bucky really was the Winter Soldier then it made sense that they'd have their doubts about him. Steve was grateful they'd at least agreed to let him travel with them.

He took a deep breath and stared up at the stars. Getting to sleep was impossible for him right now. For the first time in over a decade, finding Bucky actually seemed like a possibility. In addition, it seemed like he wouldn't have to wait long to reunite with Meredith. Everything could actually work out for once. That was exciting... and scary. He'd experienced too much disappointment in the past to let himself get carried away now.

Steve closed his eyes and tried to clear his head, but doubts kept creeping into his head. What if Bucky wasn't the Winter Soldier? What if he was? What if Steve couldn't get through to him? Steve had spent half his life searching for Bucky, but what if Bucky didn't even remember him? He'd left the orphanage without Steve. Maybe forgetting him would have come just as easily to Bucky.

No. As the thought occurred to him, he recalled the last time he'd seen Bucky. Steve had been sick, really sick. He was sure he was going to die. The doctor that had come to see him had said as much, though, the adults hadn't realized he'd overheard that diagnosis. The caretaker at the orphanage had tried to tell him differently-- that if he could just stay strong it'd all magically work out somehow. Ironically, he supposed she'd been right. He was still here after all. Stronger than ever too. When he was sick, Bucky spent most of his time at Steve's side. Bucky had done his best to stay positive, but Steve'd caught him crying when Bucky didn't think he was awake. That last night Bucky had taken his hand and sobbed openly, muttering something that Steve couldn't process due to his fever. The next morning, he was gone. The next week, so was his sickness.

Bucky had cared though. Steve could be sure of that. Maybe he wouldn't recognize him, but he'd certainly remember him. He had to.

\-----------------------

The next morning, the three of them picked up their things and started walking. They made good time, only taking a few breaks throughout the day. It wasn't until they came across an inn late in the evening that they decided to stop for the night. Tony was more than ready. He felt that he was pretty fit, but Thor and Steve had definitely outdone him. They didn't seem tired at all despite how long they'd been walking. Luckily, he didn't have to make the suggestion to turn in for the night himself. Once Thor had discovered that the inn's first floor was a tavern, he'd insisted they stop.

Steve wasn't interested in drinking and, as Tony was keenly aware an assassin was still intent on killing him, he decided he'd better stay sober. After booking their shared room and grabbing a quick bite to eat, the two of them headed upstairs, leaving Thor to enjoy his drinking. If it had been the day before, Tony would have been wary of being alone with Steve, but after spending a whole day with him, he'd quickly come to the conclusion that his new travelling companion didn't have an evil bone in his body. That, combined with the fact that he was too tired to care, meant that Tony was fine leaving Steve in charge.

"Wake me up if you know who comes to kill me," Tony said, flopping onto the bed.

"His name is Bucky," Steve said. He took a seat a small table in the corner of the room.

"I don't care."

"You should. It might save your life."

"What do you mean?"

"If you get caught alone with him, try saying his name. It might make him hesitate long enough for you to get away."

"Assuming he is actually your friend."

"That's true. Still, I think it's worth keeping in mind."

"You might be right about that."

\-----------------------

Thor settled in at the counter and ordered a drink. It would have been funner if Tony had been able to join him, but he understood his friend's reasoning. Honestly, he probably shouldn't be drinking either, but it was hard for Thor to resist the temptation of a good drink. Once he had his ale in hand, Thor took a long drink before slapping his tankard back down on the counter. Damn, that was good.

Without warning, someone took the seat next to him. "Hey," the man-- a brunette with a roguish look to him-- said, leaning against the counter and addressing Thor, "can you do me a small favor? It'd be veeery helpful if you looked over at those two guys by the door and glared at them."

"And why would I do that?" Thor asked, more curious than against the idea.

"Because there's a free drink in it for you if you do."

That seemed like a pretty good deal. Thor turned his head and looked at the two figures at the tavern's entrance. One was a larger figure that looked like he was made up of rocks while the other was a smaller, bug like creature. Definitely a curious duo. Thor made eye contact with them and glared. They both looked a bit startled at the sudden animosity. Instead of making their way over to the counter as they'd apparently intended, they took a table in the corner and sat down.

"I appreciate it," Thor's new neighbor said as he waved the bartender over. He ordered Thor and himself a drink and then settled into his seat.

"Am I allowed to ask what that was all about?" Thor asked.

"Eh, I mean, it's nothing bad if that's what you're thinking. Those two-- Korg and Miek-- just get paid to drag me back home whenever I leave for too long."

"You nobility or something then?"

"Nah, nothing like that," the man said dismissively. He didn't elaborate though. Instead, he introduced himself. "I'm Peter Quill."

"Thor," Thor said with a smile. He'd decided against using his last name. Thor wasn't sure Quill would recognize the name Odinson, but Thor figured it'd be less complicated if he didn't take that chance.

"Up for another favor?"

"I guess I could use another drink."

"Lucky me then. Once you're done with that drink, could we head upstairs together?"

Thor choked on his drink.

"I figure that way those two over there will get the wrong idea and be too embarrassed to do anything for a bit. In the meantime, I can find a window or something to sneak out of."

Right. Of course. That made so much more sense than what Thor had been thinking. Thor chugged the rest of his second drink and tried to get his head on straight. The third drink didn't last much longer. Quill and Thor had chatted a bit, but neither of them had revealed anything significant about themselves in the process. "So, should I just wrap my arm around your shoulder or something?" Thor asked.

"Sure. I wasn't going to make you go that far, but it'd definitely give Korg and Miek the impression we're going for here. As long as you don't mind, of course."

"It's fine," Thor said. The two of them got up from their seats at the same time. As Thor went to put his arm around Quill's shoulder, he noticed a tattoo on the back of his neck-- a triangle like shape with something that looked like a keyhole on top of a v inside it. He ended up brushing his thumb against the back of Quill's neck instinctively to get a better look.

Quill jolted in response, turning on Thor with a confused expression on his face and a slight blush in his cheeks. Thor couldn't help but think that it was kind of cute.

"S-sorry," Thor stammered, "I was just curious about your tattoo."

Quill frowned, turning his gaze towards the ground. "It's nothing."

It clearly wasn't nothing, but Thor didn't push his luck. He took Quill upstairs as promised and even escorted him to the nearest window. "You want any help?" Thor asked, watching Quill in amusement as the brunette opened it up and started considering his options.

"Nah. I'm good at this kind of stuff. Getting down from here is going to be a piece of cake."

"I guess this is where we part then."

"Yeah. I guess so," Quill said, taking a look back at Thor. "Thanks again for all your help."

"No need to thank me. I did it for the alcohol."

"Yeah, I don't buy that for a second," Quill smiled, "I think you did it because it sounded fun."

Quill was probably right about that. With one last wave goodbye, Quill climbed out the window. Thor watched him sneak off into the night and then let out a sigh. It would have been nice if their paths had crossed for a bit longer. Well, it was probably time to get back to Tony and Steve anyway. Thor closed the window and then headed to their room.


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha ducked behind a column and pressed against the wall as a pair of castle guards walked past. She'd narrowly avoided being seen this time. After taking another moment to gather herself, she continued down the hallway towards a statue she'd scoped out earlier. There had to be a secret passage around here somewhere. It was the only logical explanation she'd come up with as to why she kept losing track of the hooded figures she'd been trailing over the past few days.

Natasha crouched down and checked the ground. She found what she was looking for in the form of scratch marks on the floor. This statue definitely moved. Now she just had to figure out how to trigger that movement. She checked the sconces lining the walls and, when that didn't turn up anything, moved onto the individual bricks that made up the wall nearby. Pressing on enough of them eventually revealed the switch she was looking for. With a sliding sound, the statue moved to the side, revealing a secret passage.

As she followed the passage down, the statue moved back into place. Luckily, the trigger on the opposite side was easy enough to find as it was just a lever waiting in plain sight. She should be able to leave without too much trouble once she finished up her investigation. Natasha proceeded cautiously, very aware of the possibility that she could run into someone at any moment. Luckily, she seemed to have picked a good time. All was quiet. That is, until a whimpering sound broke the silence.

Natasha peeked around the corner and saw a large cell, bars lined with powerful magic. Inside it was a man she recognized as King Howard's alchemist. "Bruce," she said quietly. She'd never met him personally, but she had seen him around the castle. He'd disappeared after Stane took over though. Now she knew why.

He struggled to his feet and stumbled over to the bars, peering through them to get a better look at his guest. It was only now that Natasha could really see how wretched he looked. His clothes were in tatters, his body covered in cuts and bruises. Most alarming of all, however, was the long stretches of green splotching his skin.

"What have they done to you?" she asked with a horrified gasp.

"Doesn't matter," Bruce said with a grunt, "we don't have much time. I'm just going to have to trust that you aren't with Hydra or King Stane." He gritted his teeth and leaned against the bars for support. The magic coating on them burned into his skin, but Bruce was so tired that that was preferable to standing on his own. He met Natasha's gaze and said, "King Howard's son, Tony, is still alive."

"How is that possible?" Natasha asked, eyes wide.

"I don't know. It just is. Hydra sent an assassin called the Winter Soldier after him. Apparently they encountered each other in Asgard, but Tony escaped. Please, get that information to someone who can help him. Then maybe all of this would have been worth it."

"I will," Natasha promised, "but first I'm getting you out of there."

"No," Bruce said, shaking his head, "If I'm gone, they'll assume that that information got out. They'll become desperate and that'll put Tony in more danger than ever."

Natasha didn't like it, but he was right. "I'm sorry."

Bruce smiled weakly. "Don't be. You're the first scrap of hope I've gotten since King Stane took the throne."

"Stay alive," Natasha said, her tone firm as if it was an order. "Once Tony is safe, there won't be a reason to leave you in this cell. I will come back to free you."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Bruce said with a wry chuckle. He instantly regretted it as his body recoiled in pain. Natasha stepped forward instinctively to aid him, but he held out his hand to stop her. "One more thing before you go. They mentioned something else that might be worth knowing. They mentioned that they had some kind of highwayman problem."

Natasha froze. She knew exactly what that meant. "What about it?" she asked quickly.

"They said they were going to send the twins to deal with it. That's all I know. I'm sorry that information isn't more specific."

"It's enough, thank you," Natasha said gently. She had to get word to Clint immediately-- both about Tony being alive and these twins. Then, she actually had to find out who these twins were. "Do you know if they already sent them?"

"I don't think so. They were trying to narrow down a location first, I think."

Natasha nodded. That was good news at least. She was about to ask another question when they heard footfalls coming down the hallway. That put a quick end to their conversation. Natasha backed up into the shadows as Arnim Zola strode into the room. "Ah," he said with a smug smile as he looked at Bruce, "I see you're feeling better. I didn't expect you to be able to stand so soon."

"You won't get away with this, Zola," Bruce growled.

"Oh, is that a threat? And you're usually so docile."

Bruce grabbed onto the bars and pulled, going into an angry fit. Natasha was sure he'd started it for her sake, to distract Zola, but somewhere along the lines, it became real. As he raged, his muscles bulged unnaturally. The green splotches on his skin spread and the bars gave ever so slightly. That development took Zola aback. His smug smile from before was replaced with stunned terror.

Bruce cracked a grin. Natasha didn't really know him, but somehow it still felt uncharacteristic of the man she'd just been talking too. She would have liked to stay longer, to find out more about what was happening, but she wouldn't have a better chance to escape than now. She quietly fled the room and walked down the hall. 

On her way out, she had to duck into another room to avoid being seen. It was there that she found a pile of the robes worn by the members of Hyrdra lying on top of a crate. Figuring they wouldn't miss just one, she took one and put it on. She walked out of the room and continued on as if she belonged there. It didn't take her long to find out that it worked. In fact, it worked so well that she risked investigating a few more rooms, memorizing the layout as she went. When Natasha finally decided she was pushing her luck too much, she headed back towards the secret passage.

She pulled to the side when she heard it open, lowering her head to keep whoever was coming down from noticing her face. As it turned out, this newcomer wasn't wearing a Hydra robe. Instead, she wore a set of red leather armor that highlighted all the right places. It looked like it was more for show than actual protection giving Natasha the impression that she was probably someone who didn't fight on the front lines. An archer? Or maybe a sorceress? They were rare, but they existed. This young woman certainly seemed to fit the part. She wore her long brown hair down and the way it bounced behind her as she walked definitely caught Natasha's attention. In fact, she'd only realized she'd been staring when the woman turned to look at her.

Natasha's brain went into overdrive as she tried to figure out how she should act. Luckily, she was spared from actually having to choose a strategy when a young man attacked her with a hug from behind. "Damn it, Pietro!" she groaned, putting her left foot forward to brace herself.

Pietro laughed and pulled back. "You should have kept your guard up, sister." She took a swipe at him, but he dodged it easily and sprinted down the hallway. She shook her head and then grinned before pursuing him. That left Natasha in the clear.

She didn't waste any time. She went through the secret passage and headed back to her room, only stopping once to take off the robe and stash it somewhere where she could find it again later. Now that she was out of danger, Natasha's thoughts drifted back to the young woman. Sister, huh? If they were siblings, she supposed it was also possible they were the twins Bruce had mentioned. She'd have to find out more. Clint's life might very well depend on it.

\-----------------------

Clint reread Natasha's latest note and then stared at his camp fire. Tony Stark was alive, huh? Clint honestly didn't know how to feel about that. He definitely wanted Stane removed from the throne, but it wasn't like he thought Tony was the right fit either. The kid had been arrogant and impulsive. He'd also had a bad habit of bringing a new woman to his chambers every night. Besides, it wasn't as if he was naive enough to think that restoring Tony to the throne would be as easy as revealing he was still alive. The people would know what Stane had done then, but he doubted many would rise against him. It was easier to turn a blind eye. That's why he'd been the only noble to speak up against Stane in the first place. Still, even if he had his doubts about Tony's ability to rule, he didn't think the guy deserved to be assassinated.

And Natasha wanted him to do something about it. She hadn't directly stated it, but he knew her. The way she'd worded it was the closest she'd ever get to asking for a favor. That, more than anything else, won Clint over. He sighed aloud, already thinking what a pain in the ass all of this would be. Ignoring the situation and continuing to rob the nobility would have been so much simpler.

"What did she say?" Mantis asked curiously.

"Howard's son is alive," Clint said.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked.

"That can't be right," Rocket said.

"Well, that's what Natasha is saying. She doesn't usually get things wrong," Clint pointed out.

"Then we have to do something," Drax said, "he'll be our best bet in overthrowing Stane."

"You do realize what you're implying, right? Our little hit and run operation is a lot different from actual warfare. If we ally with Tony, we'll be putting ourselves in more danger than ever before."

"All of us joined you prepared to put our lives on the line," Mantis said gently.

"The insect girl is right," Rocket agreed, "if it means taking out that son of a bitch, we'll do whatever it takes."

"Taking Stane's throne from him is a much better form of revenge than just inconveniencing him anyway," Drax pointed out.

"Alright," Clint sighed. "I guess we're all committed then. Tony could be anywhere right now though. I don't think tracking him down is our best option. If we want to stand an actual chance against Stane, we'll need to set up a proper resistance here. We'll force Stane to pay attention to us and make sure that when Tony returns, he'll have an army to back him up."

The others cheered Clint on, all in on the idea. Clint wished he could match their enthusiasm. Like Drax, he wanted revenge. More than that though, he just wanted to die already. Having such a monumental task put between now and that ultimate end felt a little cruel. He owed it to Natasha to try though.

He turned his attention back to the last part of the letter. Something about twins. Possibly a sorceress. Nat didn't have a lot of details regarding that bit. There wasn't enough information to make him consider switching strategies, but he figured he could at least give his team a heads up.

\-----------------------

Knowhere was unlike any place Meredith had been before. For one thing, it had been built underground, using magic orbs strung between shoddy buildings to emit light. They kind of reminded her of fireflies. Despite the clearly roguish citizens eyeing her a little too curiously, Meredith felt pretty good. Her luck was going to turn around today. She just knew it.

She stopped by a tavern or two and a few shops, asking some questions. Most people didn't seem to know anything, but she got the lead she needed from a man unloading some exotic creatures from a cart. "Peter Quill? Yeah, I know a guy," he said, "I think he's the guy who works for the Collector."

"The Collector?"

"Yeah. The guy who runs this town. You can find him at his museum. Biggest building in Knowhere. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Meredith said, excitedly clasping his hands in hers, "thank you so much!" She released him seconds later and practically ran towards her new destination. She was so close. So close.

When she reached the museum, she encountered a girl with pink skin that introduced herself as Carina. The girl initially told Meredith that the Collector was busy, but when she dropped her son's name, Carina said she'd see what she could do and left the room. That gave Meredith plenty of time to nervously pace the room.

It was a few minutes before a man with white hair and thick eyebrows stepped into the room. "Greetings. I'm Taneleer Tivan, more commonly known as the Collector. It is my understanding that you're looking for Peter Quill."

"That's right."

"May I ask why?"

"He's my son," Meredith said, "he was taken from me when he was a boy and I have been looking for him ever since."

"I see," the Collector said, keeping his tone even. Meredith couldn't read his expression. Honestly though, she didn't really care to. Her anticipation was making her a bit more reckless than usual. "I am sorry that such a thing happened to you. However, I am even sorrier that I have to inform you that your son is no longer here."

"B-but he was here?" Meredith asked, grabbing onto this piece of information, "do you know where he went?"

"He was headed towards Morag. I believe he was looking into an artifact that might be there. That is the limit of my knowledge though."

"I see. Morag," Meredith said, heart racing. "Thank you." That said, she excused herself. Peter wasn't here, but he had been here. That was more information than she could have hoped for really. Still, she was slightly disappointed. She'd really hoped that today was the day she'd finally see him again.

\-----------------------

As soon as he was sure Meredith had gone, the Collector turned to Carina. She winced, instinctively knowing that he was angry despite the emotionless expression he worked to keep on his face. "Carina, bring me the crystal. The one that allows me to contact whoever I'd like."

She nodded and hurried off to get it. He took a deep breath as he waited, trying to calm down. When she brought the crystal to him, he took it from her and said, "Taserface."

The crystal rose into the air and projected an image of the grotesque mercenary. Apparently, he was in the middle of drinking at the tavern with the rest of his mercenary band. When he noticed that the Collector was calling on him, he spat out his drink and walked away to a spot where they could talk privately. "Collector," he acknowledged, "what can I do for you?"

"I gave you a simple job," the Collector said, unable to keep the rage out of his tone, "kill the mother and bring me the child."

"Uh, you're talking about Quill?" Taserface asked, not quite following.

"His mother just paid me a visit. That shouldn't have happened. Do you know why?"

"Because she's supposed to be dead," Taserface shrunk, shoulder's slouching.

"That's right. Do you understand how much you have inconvenienced me?"

"I--"

"I don't need an answer. I need you to fix it."

"O-of course."

"I sent her towards Morag. You will hunt her down and finish the job and you will do it before Peter finds out. If any of this gets back to him, I will hold you responsible. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The Collector cut the connection after that and returned the crystal to Carina. She immediately fled the room. Smart girl. He didn't know what he'd do to her if she'd stayed within sight right now. "It's fine," he told himself, reminding himself to breathe, "the problem will be dealt with."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! I blame Dragon Quest!

"Well, I think I can safely say that Knowhere is the wretched hive of villainy you told me it'd be," Tony remarked. They'd been there for less than an hour and the three of them had already been the victims of an attempted mugging. Thor and Steve had made quick work of the would be thief though, giving him a good punch and knocking him to the ground. Tony would have been content to leave it at that, but apparently Steve had other ideas. Thus, the thief was forced to endure a ten minute speech about right and wrong. Tony wasn't sure he actually deserved it.

"I don't know, Tony. We've only really met one person so far. It'd be unfair to judge them all by one bad encounter," Thor said, a mischievous sarcasm in his tone.

"Right. I'm sure the rest of them are just lovely."

Steve finished up his speech and finally rejoined the two of them. He wasted no time in getting straight to business. "When Meredith is looking for a lead, she always checks at the taverns first. I bet if we ask a few bartenders, we'll find at least one that remembers her."

"Alright. That's as good a plan as any," Tony said, "lead the way and we'll follow."

Steve nodded and started walking in a random direction. It didn't take them long to find a tavern. Once inside, Steve led them to the counter where they took a seat and beckoned over the bartender.

"Excuse me," Steve started, "I'm looking for someone. A woman with long, curly blond hair and blue eyes. She would have been asking about her son."

"I might have seen her," the bartender replied as he cleaned a couple of tankards. He didn't elaborate further. Steve was a bit confused by that response, but Thor caught on right away. He pulled a gold coin out of his coin pouch and put it on the table. Evidently, the bartender hadn't been expecting that much as his eyes went wide.

"Get a round for me and my friends and there's another gold coin in it for you," Thor told the bartender. With a nod, the bartender scurried off to do just that.

"Thor..." Tony started, "we're kind of in the middle of something here."

"One drink won't hurt. It put the bartender in a good mood, didn't it? I think he'll be happy to tell us what he knows now and we can enjoy our drinks while we hear him out."

"Alright," Tony sighed. A drink did sound kind of nice. "But remember, our priority is finding Steve's girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Steve clarified.

"Because he already has a boyfriend," Thor whispered to Tony. Steve clearly overheard because he shot the two of them a murderous glare. Luckily, the bartender came back at that moment and set their drinks down in front of them. Tony and Thor took a sip of their drinks as Steve refocused on the task at hand.

"So, this woman you're looking for..." the bartender started.

"I don't know if she would have given you her name, but it's Meredith Quill if that helps," Steve said. At the mention of her name, Thor did a spit take.

"S-sorry," Thor coughed, "don't mind me. Please continue."

"She didn't give me her name," the bartender said, ignoring Thor's interruption, "but she did give me her son's name. Peter Quill, right?"

"That's right," Steve said, "that's her."

"Like you said, she came in asking about him. Thing is... nobody in their right mind would have given her the information she was looking for."

"What do you mean?"

"We all know Quill around here. He's kind of a brat really, but I digress," the man said, "the thing is, he belongs to the Collector."

"What do you mean, belongs to?" Steve asked, eyes narrowing.

"It means what it means, kid. You'd have to have lived your whole life with your head in the dirt to not know slavery is a thing. And before you think about going on some crusade to get your friend's son back, know that you'd be butting heads with the most powerful man in Knowhere."

"Could we buy him?" Tony asked. Steve clearly didn't like that idea, but that was more practical than starting a war. Besides, Thor had the money. Probably.

"I doubt it," the bartender said, "the Collector isn't against trading, but Quill is his favorite. Not sure why. He looks like a regular human to me. No special powers or ancestry as far as I can tell."

Steve seemed to react a bit at that last sentence. Tony made a mental note to follow up on that later. "Then we're just supposed to give up?"

"That would be the smart thing to do. It's not like the kid has a terrible life anyway. The Collector gives him a certain amount of freedom as long as he always returns within whatever time limit he's given," the bartender said with a shrug.

"And he doesn't just run away?"

"Can't. He's got a tattoo on the back of his neck that the Collector can use to enforce his will. Even if he didn't though, you do not cross the Collector."

That was it then. For now, at least. Maybe they could figure out something later, but for now Tony figured their efforts were better focused on finding Meredith. "Do you know where Meredith is now?"

"I don't know."

"I do though," a blue man with a red frill on his head-- a Centaurian, if Tony recalled correctly-- said, taking a seat next to the three of them at the bar.

"Yondu," the bartender said with an acknowledging nod.

Thor went for his coin pouch, but Yondu stopped him. "That's not necessary. This time anyway," Yondu said, "I'm the leader of one of the Ravager clans around these parts. Way back when, a guy named Taserface used to work for me. He had different ideas about how to run things so him and a few of the others split off to form their own group. Thing is, I've kept an eye on him over the years. That's why I know he's headed to Morag to kill that friend of yours."

"What?" Steve asked in alarm.

"Apparently, someone talked and the Collector was none to happy when she showed up at his doorstep." Yondu got up from his seat and added, "you'd better hurry if you want to save her."

Steve headed for the door immediately. Tony followed after him as Thor placed the promised gold coin on the counter for the bartender. "Steve, wait up," Tony called, chasing Steve outside the bar. Steve didn't listen. He walked with purpose as he made his way through the crowd.

Tony lost sight of him for a second and, with Thor trailing behind, that was enough of an opening. Tony stumbled backwards as he was yanked into an alley way and tossed to the ground. Looking up, Tony could clearly see the Winter Soldier looking down at him. Well, fuck. Guess it was time to see if saying his name had any sort of effect on him.

"Bu--"

A circle of light quickly formed around Tony and, before he could register what was happening, he fell through, landing somewhere else entirely. A brunette with white streaks in his hair stepped forward with a disapproving scowl. "How you've survived this long without my assistance is a mystery to me."

\-----------------------

"Steve! Where's Tony?" Thor asked, catching up to Steve. That snapped him out of his trance like state. He whirled around and desperately searched for their missing companion.

"I... I don't know," Steve admitted.

Thor responded with an irritated growl, but din't say anything. Instead, he headed back the way they'd come from. Steve followed him feeling particularly guilty. Tony had told him to wait up, but he hadn't listened. Apparently that was all it had taken for things to go horribly wrong.

Thor suddenly charged into an alley. The why was rather obvious when Steve took a look himself. Standing over Tony was the Winter Soldier. Then, in another second, Tony had disappeared. Steve didn't know what was going on, but that hardly mattered. "See if you can find Tony," Steve said, raising his shield, "I'll deal with the Winter Soldier."

Thor nodded and split off, leaving Steve to face off against the Winter Soldier alone. Steve took a deep breath. Was it Bucky? It was hard to tell in this light. Still...

The Winter Soldier lunged at him, sword drawn. Steve raised his shield to meet the blow and pushed back, sending Tony's attacker stumbling backward. Steve then moved in. He bashed the Winter Soldier's metallic arm against the wall and forced him to drop the sword. The Winter Soldier responded by kicking him in the shin, causing Steve to drop to one knee. He then pulled a dagger from his belt and swung downward, aiming for the spot between Steve's shoulder and neck. Steve rolled aside and then threw his shield. That was a new trick the Winter Soldier hadn't seen coming. It hit him in the side and threw him off balance.

Steve got to his feet and went to fetch his shield. Before he could get to it, however, the Winter Soldier recovered and tripped him. Once Steve was on the ground, the Winter Soldier got on top of him, pinning him to the ground. From this position, Steve got the look he needed. Instead of struggling further, he laughed and raised his hand to touch his old friend's cheek. "It's really you," he said, tears forming in his eyes, "Bucky."

Bucky pulled away in surprise, quickly getting to his feet and backing up against the wall. "How do you?" he asked.

"How do you think?" Steve asked, sitting up, "though... I admit I probably do look a lot different. I'm definitely not the sickly kid I used to be."

"...Steve," Bucky said, a pained emotion on his face.

"Yeah. It's me."

"You're with Stark then?"

Steve nodded. "To find you. I can't let you kill him though."

"I can't let him live," Bucky replied, resuming his previous emotionless expression.

"Why? What has he done that is so bad?"

"It's not my call."

"It's your employer's call, right? Well, why do you need to listen to them?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Of course it's my concern," Steve replied, a note of desperation in his voice, "you're my friend, Bucky. I've been looking for you since they day you disappeared."

"Then you've wasted your time," Bucky said, turning his head away. "I won't kill you, but I will hurt you if you get in my way again." That said, Bucky darted into the crowd. Steve got to his feet and called after him, but it was too late. He'd already disappeared.

Steve punched the wall next to him. "Damn it," he cursed. Logically, he knew he'd have another chance to speak with Bucky-- especially now that he'd confirmed that he was indeed the Winter Soldier. Still, the way their first conversation in years had ended so abruptly devastated Steve. He had to get his friend back somehow. He just had to.

\-----------------------

Tony and Thor eventually regrouped with Steve. However, this time they had someone new tagging along. "This is Stephen Strange," Tony explained, "apparently he's been sent by an order of magical monks or something to make sure I don't die. He's kind of an asshole though."

"I assure you, this is not my ideal situation either," Stephen scoffed.

"Okay," Steve frowned, trying to make sense of this sudden development, "but why would an organization like that be interested in keeping someone like Tony alive?"

"Would you like to tell your companions or should I?" Stephen asked.

Tony shot him a glare and then sighed. He supposed Thor and Steve deserved the truth. They were putting their lives on the line for him, after all. It was only fair that they knew why. "I'm... I'm the son of Howard Stark, the previous King of Ferrum. I was supposed to inherit the crown, but Obadiah Stane tried to have me assassinated. I got away with my life, but he still got what he wanted. So, now he's King. I guess I'm just a loose end he's trying to clean up. I... I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you. Especially you, Thor."

"Knowing that doesn't change much," Thor shrugged, "but... we can't let an insult like that stand. Stane needs to be defeated and your birthright needs to be restored."

"We've been over this, Thor," Tony groaned, "the guy has an army! We won't be restoring any sort of birthright, alright?"

"Actually, that's exactly what we'll be doing," Stephen said bluntly. "Removing Stane from the throne is key to preventing an event of cataclysmic proportions. That's why I'm here. To make sure he is removed and you are crowned King."

"H-hold on," Tony stuttered, not sure where to start. "You're telling me that me being King saves the world?"

"More likely, Stane not being King saves the world, but I'm not clear on the details so I suppose it is possible."

"That's... No. No way. Going against Stane is suicide. You're crazy."

"Going against Stane is not suicide and I am not crazy," Stephen said with a huff, "we just need to collect the correct players."

"And who are the correct players?" Thor asked curiously.

"The three of you, for starters."

"Look, I'll be happy to help, but only once Meredith is safe," Steve said. This newcomer might have distracted the other two, but he hadn't forgotten that immediate goal. Well, maybe for a second when he encountered Bucky, but that was it.

"And we'll make sure of that," Tony said in agreement, "we can worry about all this King stuff later." Steve got the sense Tony mostly just wanted to avoid talking about going up against Stane, but he was grateful for the support nonetheless.

"We have to help Meredith's son too," Thor added. He sounded a little more invested than Steve would have thought he'd be. Of course, that could have just been his imagination.

"Did you not hear me?" Stephen asked, "we're talking about a large scale extinction event. The life of one woman hardly matters in the grand scheme--"

"We're helping her and that's final," Tony declared, "if you don't want to help, you don't have to come." He stared Stephen down until the sorcerer backed down.

With a sigh, Stephen said, "very well then. Let's make this quick."

\-----------------------

"So, how mad is he this time?" Peter Quill asked Carina as he strode into the Collector's museum. The pink skinned Krylorian girl looked up from the desk and smiled briefly before a worried look crossed her face. That didn't bode well.

"He... is in a bad mood, but not because of you," Carina said, "still, we both know full well that doesn't mean he won't take it out on you."

"Right," Quill sighed, "well, I guess I'd better do my best to butter him up."

"I imagine whatever he sent you out looking for this time would do the trick-- assuming you found it, of course."

"I came up empty this time around, I'm afraid," Quill said with a shrug, "the infinity stones aren't exactly the easiest things to track down."

"No, they are not," the Collector said as he stepped into the room. He turned his attention to Quill specifically and said, "you are late."

"I know. I got a little carried away. I'm sorry."

"This isn't your first indiscretion either. At this rate, I'm afraid that it'll become a habit."

"It... It won't. I'll come back on time next time."

"Assuming there is a next time."

"Come on! You can't--"

All it took was a look from the Collector to silence Quill. He definitely could. Going out on missions was a privilege that the Collector constantly dangled overhead. It sucked that Quill actually had to earn any sort of freedom, but it was better than it could have been. He knew that the Collector was just as capable of making him fall in line using punishments instead of rewards.

"I'm sorry," Quill corrected his behavior, "that was out of line."

"Yes, it was."

"I do good work though, don't I? I may not have gotten you what you wanted this time, but I usually do. It's beneficial to send me out."

"Be that as it may, I think I'll have you stay put for the time being."

"Right," Quill said, resigning himself to his fate. If he argued, he'd only make the Collector angrier. And the angrier he made the Collector, the longer his "prison" sentence would be. For now, he'd just have to sit tight and wait it out. "You know best."

"You know best, what?" the Collector asked.

"You know best, master," Quill said. The word always made him feel a little dead inside. That's probably what the Collector liked about it.

The Collector smiled in satisfaction. "Of course I do."

Quill did what he could to hide his emotions. It was easier to bear knowing that the Collector wouldn't be smiling that if he'd known what Quill had done. He'd found the damn infinity stone that the Collector wanted. He just hadn't handed it over the way he had everything else. Quill didn't know what it was supposed to do, but if it was as powerful as the Collector's interest in it led him to believe, maybe it could be his way out of here once and for all.


	6. Chapter 6

"What's going on?" Gamora asked one of her father's soldiers as she made her way up the stairs to the fortress' ramparts.

"There's a human at the gate who says he wants an audience with the Mad Titan."

"A human man?" Gamora asked, cocking an eyebrow. That was curious. When King Stane started going after non-humans, her father had responded by fortifying a large stretch of land and taking in refugees. Stane sent soldiers after them, but no matter how many he sent, Thanos killed them all. The stories of her father's power spread and most of the humans living nearby had retreated further into the kingdom. The few that stayed knew better than to approach the fortress. Except this newcomer, apparently.

"Yes, my lady."

Gamora slipped into a thoughtful silence as she climbed the remaining stairs. Once she peered over the wall, she got her first view of the man she'd been told about. He had short brown hair, an athletic build, and a stern, humorless expression on his face. She took special note of the bow and arrows strapped to his back. "I'm told you want to speak with Thanos," Gamora called down to him.

"You heard correctly."

"Why?"

"Look, miss, I appreciate that you're just doing your job, but I'd really rather only explain things once. Can you get me a meeting or not?"

"I can, but I don't see why I should bother," Gamora replied, "for all I know, you're an assassin trying to kill our leader."

"From the stories I've heard, Thanos doesn't have much to fear from a single person."

"You've heard right. There's no reason to be careless, however."

"Fair enough," the man said with a sigh, "look, you can take my bow and arrows if that'll put you at ease. I just want to talk to Thanos about taking down Stane. Is that enough of an explanation or do you need the whole story?"

"It's a start. I'm curious as to what you think you can offer Thanos in return though. Prove to me that you're not wasting his time and I'll consider getting you that meeting."

"My name is Clint Barton. I used to be nobility and I have the signet ring to prove it. At the very least, I can provide Thanos with the castle's layout and--"

"Hold on. You're Lord Barton?" Gamora asked. The man had accrued a number of tales himself. Ones that had certainly piqued her interest anyway. "The leader of the highwaymen that have been a thorn in King Stane's side?"

"I wasn't aware people were telling stories about me," Clint admitted. Gamora could swear there was a hint of bashfulness in his tone. She found it amusing.

"You're actually quite popular with the non humans living here. Some even credit you with saving their lives."

"That wasn't exactly my primary objective, but if my actions somehow helped, I'm glad."

His response seemed honest enough. Gamora supposed it wouldn't hurt to give him what he wanted. If he was full of shit, she could just kill him-- if her father didn't get to him first. "I'll meet you at the gate. I do expect you to turn over your bow for the duration of your visit though."

"You'll take me to Thanos?"

"Don't make me regret it."

Clint nodded and waited for her to come down. Once the gates creaked open, Gamora approached him. She took his bow and arrows and handed them to the nearest soldier before leading him further into the fortress.

"I'm Gamora, by the way," she said. If they were going to work together in the future, he might as well know that much.

"The world's deadliest woman."

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, but my kill count is pretty high. So, try not to make me angry," she said teasingly.

Clint smirked a bit at that. So he could smile after all. That was good to know. Gamora continued leading him until they reached a large war tent at the back. She announced their arrival and waited for a voice to answer her.

"You may enter," Thanos said.

Gamora took Clint inside the tent and addressed the giant of a man that had adopted her so long ago. "This is Clint Barton. He claims that he's the leader of the highwaymen that have been harassing Stane."

"Interesting. If that's true, know that I respect your work."

"Thank you," Clint said, "but it's not enough."

Thanos' expression grew more serious. "I would agree. I take it that's why you're here?"

"Yes. I want to take down Stane once and for all."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not exactly," Clint admitted, "right now I'm trying to see who I can recruit."

"Who else have you spoken with?"

"No one. You were my first stop."

"Hm. Then who else do you plan to speak with?"

"Anyone that will hear me out. I'll be honest though. I don't have high hopes. None of the surrounding kingdoms have much reason to join in. But I'm hoping I can change their minds. King Howard was on good terms with most of them when he was alive. I think that that paired with the news that his son is still alive might convince them they're honor bound to act."

"His son is alive?"

"That is what I've heard."

"And your source is reliable?"

"Yes. I'd bet my life on it a hundred times over."

Thanos stroked his chin thoughtfully. "My impression of the Stark boy was that he was... irresponsible. I'm not sure restoring his throne is in Ferrum's best interest."

"I'm hoping he's matured a bit in his exile. In any case, I do think he'd be better than Stane."

"That is a fair point. And without him, we can't obligate the other kingdoms to help us."

Clint nodded. "I know it's not ideal, but if you ally with him, I imagine he'd repay the favor."

"I'd make sure of that," Thanos said. Gamora recognized the threat in his tone. Thanos closed his eyes and thought things over a moment longer before saying, "alright. You may consider me your ally for the time being. But know that I will not help with a plan I do not agree with. My soldiers are not yours to waste."

"Understood."

"We'll have to continue gathering allies if we want to better our chances. The more the better, but I'd prioritize Wakanda and Asgard. Both kingdoms are strong and worthy of respect."

"Yes, but they also tend to keep to themselves. They won't be easy to convince."

"We must try. I have an idea regarding Asgard. I will go there myself. The Black Order should be able to keep things in line here until I get back."

"Then I guess I'm taking a trip to Wakanda."

"Not alone. My daughter, Gamora, will go with you. You'll find that she is quite useful in a number of situations."

Aiding Clint may have been one reason Thanos was sending her along, but Gamora knew her father well enough to know that he had an alternate mission in mind for her. She was to watch Clint and assess whether or not he was worth working alongside. If she decided he wasn't, Thanos would trust her judgement and end their alliance.

"Alright..." Clint said a bit hesitantly, "I suppose she'll be a good addition to the team."

"You won't regret taking me along," Gamora promised.

"What you'll regret is not having her along when she returns to my side," Thanos added with a smug grin. He then returned to a more serious expression as he moved the conversation forward, "we'll also need to secure Tony Stark. If he dies, we lose the little leverage we have so protecting him must be a priority."

"I agree. The problem with that is that I don't know where he is. He was in Asgard last, but that's the extent of what I know."

"Another reason to head that direction then," Thanos said, "I'll send my other daughter, Nebula, out to look for him while we focus on making alliances. Assuming all goes well, we'll put that mind of yours to work once we reunite. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Clint said, extending his hand. Thanos shook it and that sealed their arrangement. Clint then turned his attention to Gamora. "How long will it take you to get ready to go?"

"Give me ten minutes," she replied.

\-----------------------

Natasha actually enjoyed Stane's parties. They were bold and extravagant, full of life and, more importantly, people willing to let all sorts of secrets slip. It was an environment she thrived in. The only downside was the strain Stane's habitual celebrations put on the lower classes. Natasha did feel a bit guilty about that but, with any luck, her playing along now would help them out in the long run. When Stane was removed from the throne.

Natasha smiled and made her way through the ballroom. Today's party had a masquerade theme to it, but it wasn't hard for her to identify the nobles she interacted with. She probably knew them better than they knew themselves at this point.

"You look lovely this evening, Lady Romanov," Stane said, approaching her.

Natasha put a playful finger to her lips and said, "Shh. My identity is supposed to be a secret, remember? Thank you for the compliment though. It means a lot coming from a handsome stranger such as yourself."

Stane chuckled in response. "Handsome, huh? I suppose that means you wouldn't be opposed to dancing with me?"

"It would be my pleasure," Natasha replied, keeping her tone perky. She really wished she could afford to say no. "But there are a few more people I'd like to greet before that-- if you don't mind waiting for just a little bit."

"As long as you don't keep me waiting too long."

"I won't," Natasha smiled, "but in the meantime, perhaps you should dance with some of the other beautiful women attending. It wouldn't do to see the King favoring one woman in particular. Especially with so many nobles hoping you'll pick their daughters to be your wife."

"Now who is ruining the game?" Stane replied. He put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion and then dismissed himself to go do as Natasha had suggested. Natasha then turned her own attention back to the task at hand. There was someone she was kind of looking for, after all.

It was quite possible that the young woman she'd seen in the dungeon wasn't on the guest list. Natasha wasn't sure how intertwined Hydra was with Stane's court. However, if she did happen to be here, it could be a good chance to get the information she needed. Natasha kept moving through the crowd until she caught a glimpse of a brunette in a beautiful red gown. That was her. Natasha was sure of it.

"Your dress is gorgeous," Natasha said, approaching her, "your tailor certainly has an eye for detail."

"Oh, thank you," the woman replied, a bit startled at the sudden compliment. Natasha got the impression she wasn't used to parties like this. She probably wasn't a noble then. That wasn't surprising though. If she had been a noble, Natasha was confident she'd have been able to identify her when she saw her back in the dungeon. "Your dress is lovely as well."

"It certainly gets the job done," Natasha smiled, "now, tell me, what is a beautiful young woman like yourself doing standing by yourself in a corner when men should be tripping over themselves asking you to dance?"

She fidgeted nervously.

"Do you not know how?" Natasha asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I do!" She said quickly, "sort of, anyway. I'm not good at it the way my brother is though."

"A brother, huh?" Natasha pried gently.

"Yeah. Over there," the woman said, nodding in his direction. Unlike her, he seemed very at home in this environment. He twirled a girl around and flawlessly led her across the dance floor. "We're twins, believe it or not. He seems to have gotten all of the dancing talent though."

"That's okay. You got the looks," Natasha replied. The woman snorted at that comment, earning her several stares from more proper ladies around her. Natasha grinned, almost laughing herself at the response her comment had gotten. Natasha filed away the fact that the two siblings were twins and then took the woman's hand. "Here, come with me."

She looked confused, but followed Natasha's lead curiously. When they reached the balcony, she asked the question on her mind, "why did we come all the way out here?"

"So I could give you a few pointers on dancing," Natasha said. She got in position and offered the woman her other hand. "You ready?"

"I don't know about this."

"Nobody's here to see you except me and I promise I won't judge."

The woman took Natasha's hand cautiously. Natasha smiled and started slowly leading her. When she stumbled, Natasha steadied her and said, "you're thinking too much. I know that sounds like strange advice, but you'll do better if you aren't going through all the steps in your head."

"But if I don't go through them, I won't be able to do them at all." Natasha couldn't help but think the subtle pout on the girl's face was cute.

"I think you'd be surprised. Here, stop looking at your feet and look me in the eyes," Natasha said. Her partner obeyed and Natasha quickened her pace. It didn't give the woman the time she needed to overthink things. Sure enough, she got the steps just right this time. "See? What did I tell you?"

"Can we try again?"

"Of course."

Natasha humored her for awhile longer. Once she'd decided the woman had enough practice in, she tried improvising a few things to throw her off. It was actually pretty fun. Much better than dancing with Stane would be later. Of course, she wasn't really here to have fun. Once she reminded herself of that, she put a stop to the lessons.

"I think that should do it," Natasha said, "you'll blend in just fine now."

"Right," the woman said, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear shyly, "thank you for your help."

"There's no need to thank me. I just did what I wanted," Natasha replied. "Though if you do want to thank me anyway... A name would be nice."

The woman smiled and said, "only if I can have yours too."

"Natasha."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natasha. I'm Wanda."

"Will I see you around the castle more often?"

"Probably not," Wanda said sadly, "my brother and I will be leaving tomorrow. We have business elsewhere that could take awhile."

That business being Clint, Natasha thought. Though, if Wanda thought it might take awhile they still might not have a good idea where to find him. "Business, huh? So mysterious," Natasha commented. She hoped Wanda would elaborate more, but she doubted it.

"Well, I'm not about to reveal everything about myself on a first date," Wanda replied.

Natasha grinned. That was certainly a cheekier answer than she'd expected. "Is that what this was? A date?"

Wanda lowered her gaze shyly. "It could be."

Natasha hesitated. That was probably a bad idea. Sure, flirting a little could open up some options, give her access to information she wouldn't have otherwise, but Natasha got the feeling that it wouldn't end there. She knew herself well enough to know that she was genuinely attracted to Wanda. Forming an actual relationship with her would complicate things. They weren't exactly on the same side and Natasha already knew the ending. She'd have to betray Wanda at one point or another.

Even so...

Natasha leaned in and kissed Wanda gently on the lips. Was it so terrible to want something nice? Just for a little bit. Wanda responded by pulling Natasha in closer and deepening the kiss. Damn. Had it always felt this good or had it just been too long since Natasha actually indulged one of her whims like this? Probably a bit of both. She slid her hand up Wanda's side, wondering just how far they were going to take this. Then, she heard someone coming. Apparently, Wanda did too because just like that they'd split apart.

"I trust you've finished your rounds by now," Stane asked, coming into view. Natasha flashed Wanda an apologetic look and went over to him. She hoped Wanda understood. Stane was the one person she really couldn't afford to upset. Stane offered her his arm and she took it.

"Of course. You came at just the right time," Natasha said, "I was just finishing up a conversation with my new friend here."

"About how much you adore your king, I hope," Stane suggested. Natasha did that sort of thing herself often enough to know he was probing for information.

"About kissing actually," Wanda replied. It was subtle, but Natasha caught a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"Oh, interesting," Stane smiled. He probably thought it was regarding him since he gave Natasha a suggestive look. "I bet that got a little heated."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Natasha said, keeping her tone playful. "It's one thing to fantasize, but no real lady would let herself get caught in such a scandalous act."

"Even with a king?"

"Are you going to give me a ring?" Natasha asked, really hoping that Stane didn't like her enough to ask her to marry him on the spot. That was a situation she was not ready to deal with.

"Eh, well..."

"Then no," Natasha said curtly. "Now, let's go dance before I change my mind."

Stane was clearly glad for the save. He agreed instantly and started leading her back to the ballroom. Natasha glanced back Wanda's way one last time, but couldn't read her expression. Natasha would have to apologize to her later. If she ever got that opportunity.


	7. Chapter 7

Quill hated being confined to his room. The Collector had spared no expense when it came to furnishing the place, but it was still a glorified prison cell. No amount of fancy things would change that. The one thing in it that he didn't completely hate was the bed. There was no denying it was comfortable and sleeping was the easiest way to pass the time without going crazy. That would have to wait this time, however. For once, Quill had other plans. He had an infinity stone to figure out.

Quill got up from the bed and headed over to the wardrobe. It was filled with all sorts of fine clothes that Quill had made a conscious effort not to wear. The Collector already controlled enough of his life. Quill wasn't going to let him decide how he dressed too. Not when he could wear things he picked up on his outings. Quill pushed some of the clothes aside to get to the outfit he'd hidden the stone on and pulled it out of the pocket. Its blue shine was just as brilliant as he remembered.

If only that helped him figure out what it actually did. "Hmm," Quill said, flipping the stone over in his hand. Maybe that wasn't the dumbest thought. Blue, huh? Like water maybe? Maybe the stone gave the user control over water or something? He didn't have anything to test that on right now though. He made a mental note to save his water when Carina brought him his next meal and moved on to his next thought. Maybe if he just held it out like it was supposed to do something. "Okay, stone, do your thing," Quill said, thrusting his arm forward with the stone in hand.

Nothing happened.

At least, nothing seemed to happen. Quill eyed the wall and then punched it. His knuckles hurt a little, but that was about it. "Yeah, I guess I didn't really expect that to work," Quill sighed, "no super strength, huh?" Not that super strength would have helped him out of his predicament anyway. Honestly, it was probably a good thing that didn't work. No way he'd be able to hide a hole in the wall from the Collector. "Maybe if I try wishing for something?"

His first thought was his mom, but that alone wasn't a wish. He closed his eyes and started working through the words he wanted to use when a sudden knock startled him out of his thoughts. Quill jumped in surprise and then collected himself enough to shove the stone under his pillow as Carina's voice carried through the door. "Are you decent? I brought you something to eat."

"Yeah, you can come in, Carina," Quill replied.

Carina unlocked the door and came in, placing the tray of food she carried on Quill's desk. She then turned towards him and gently asked, "how are you holding up?"

"Fine, for now. It is only the first day though. I'll start going crazy soon enough. Hey, do you have any idea how long the Collector plans on keeping me locked up this time? Maybe if I'm more cooperative--"

"That's not going to matter, Quill," Carina said with a sigh.

Quill frowned. "Why not?"

"The Collector... He's not keeping you here to punish you this time."

"What does that mean, Carina?"

"I've already said too much."

"Nothing you tell me will get back to the Collector. I promise."

"You don't get it," Carina said, the frown on her face deepening, "you can't do anything about it so it's better if you don't know. I just..." Her voice cracked and she immediately went for the door. Quill responded by lunging forward and putting his hand on the door to stop her. It was then that he noticed she had tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Quill."

"Carina..."

"I really need to go, Quill. Before I get in trouble."

Quill sighed and removed his hand from the door. Carina shot him one last apologetic look as he backed off and then she left the room. In her haste, she forgot to lock the door behind her. Quill fixated on that detail.

He really didn't want to cause problems for Carina, but Quill couldn't help himself. If he could leave, he might be able to find some information on the infinity stones. The Collector had to have something on them laying around somewhere. That'd be a much better way to find out how to use his than running random experiments that could potentially destroy the entire world. And, if he couldn't find out what his infinity stone did, maybe he could at least figure out what Carina wasn't telling him about. That decided it. Quill would just have to do his best not to get caught.

Quill approached the door and cracked it open. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he left the room and put down the latch to lock the door behind him. That should keep anyone from realizing he'd left his room-- unless they actually looked inside anyway. It'd have to do. Now, where to start looking? The Collector's study seemed like a good bet.

That decided, Quill carefully started making his way down the hallway, his mind drifting back to what Carina had said earlier. Something was going on that would upset him, huh? There wasn't a lot that could do that at this point. Hurting someone he cared about would do it though. Carina didn't seem to be in any danger, all things considered. Quill also didn't see the Collector doing anything worse to Korg and Miek than firing them. With those three accounted for, that kind of finished off the list of people Quill cared about. The living ones anyway.

Who else was there? Upon asking himself that question, an image of Thor popped into his head. "Really?" Quill groaned quietly to himself. He'd met the guy once! And yeah, sure, he'd been nice. Handsome too. Like, really handsome. But that didn't mean Quill should be thinking about him now. It made Quill feel desperate. Was that really how little it took to get in his head? In fairness, his situation didn't exactly grant him the luxury of forming a relationship longer than a one night stand. Quill shook his head. None of that mattered. The Collector didn't know about Thor. There was no way whatever Carina had been referring to had anything to do with him.

When Quill made it to the study, he found that the door was cracked open. Inside, he could hear the Collector speaking to someone. Probably using one of those fancy crystal things he had. That's how he stayed connected to most of his business partners. Either way, it meant that Quill couldn't search the study right now. He started coming up with a new plan as he listened in.

"No, I do not have specifics on her location," the Collector said with an annoyed sigh, "as you may recall, I was forced to make up the lie on the spot due to your incompetence."

"I realize that, but Morag is a big place."

Anger shot through Quill like lightning. It had been years since he'd heard that voice, but he remembered it. Rather, he couldn't forget it. Taserface. The man who'd killed his mother and sold him to the Collector. Quill had been under the impression that that one instance was the extent of their contact though. He inched forward to get a better look into the room. He'd been right about the crystal. That was probably a good thing. If Taserface was actually in the room... Quill had no idea what he'd have done.

"That's not my problem. Find her and kill her by any means necessary."

"Is it really that important though?" Taserface asked, "as long as she thinks you don't have Quill, she shouldn't be snooping around Knowhere."

"You clearly don't understand what lengths mothers will go to for their children. She has been looking for him since you brought him to me and she will not stop until she finds him or she is dead. I prefer dead because if Quill knows that she's still out there looking for him, he will be much harder to keep in line than he already is."

Quill leaned against the wall for support, his head spinning. Everything he thought he knew had been turned on its head in an instant. What they were saying... Could it really mean that his mom was still alive? That wasn't possible. He'd been there. He'd seen her start fading away, the pool of blood expanding beneath her cold body. He bit his lip and tried to remember. A burning feeling in his chest? Wait... Was there a light? A white light? A different memory suddenly flooded his head.

A hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair. A bright day with a clear sky over an open field. A strong, soothing voice. Dad. "One day, Peter, you and I will own this world." When he was around, he'd always show Quill tricks. Light magic. At least, magic that looked like light.

Maybe something he'd done before he left had protected his mom. Maybe she was somehow alive after all. That spark of hope was immediately extinguished when he factored in the rest of the conversation he'd overheard. Meredith may be alive now, but she wouldn't be for long. Once he came to terms with that realization, his response was automatic. He stepped into the room and revealed himself, saying, "call it off."

The Collector kept his surprise well contained, but Quill still noted how his eyes widened.

"Please," Quill continued, his voice dry. "I'll... I'll be good. I'll be whatever you want me to be. I won't challenge you anymore and... I'll stay here. Forever. I don't have to see her and she never has to know I'm alive. So, let her live. Please. Please, master."

The Collector was quiet for a long moment. "I'll call you back in a moment," the Collector told Taserface before dismissing the image. He then turned his attention back to Quill. "First things first, how did you get out of your room?"

Quill didn't have a good lie prepared. He apologized to Carina in his head and said, "Carina forgot to lock the door after she brought me my food. It wasn't her fault though. I distracted her. I do it all he time. It just happened to work this time."

"She'll have to be punished regardless," the Collector said, "especially since I know you're lying on her behalf."

"I'm not--"

"Quill, I know you better than you think I do. Which is why I know that letting your mother live would be a mistake."

Quill went cold.

The Collector walked over to Quill and tilted his chin upward, forcing Quill's gaze to meet his. "You are restless and you constantly test boundaries. The only reason you haven't explicitly gone against me is because you didn't think anything was waiting for you out there besides your own curiosity. But now you know that's not the case."

"Please..." Quill tried again. He didn't know what else to do.

"No, Quill," the Collector said calmly, "I don't need to make deals with you." The Collector moved his hand from Quill's chin, brushing Quill's cheek before stopping at the back of his neck. "You are already mine. Your body and, with enough discipline, your mind. Any sense of freedom you had before was an illusion. An illusion I revoke starting now."

Quill bit his lip. He wanted to kill him. But, as long as that mark was on the back of his neck, that wasn't an option. The mark connected the Collector's slaves to him. If he was killed, everyone one with that tattoo died too. Quill was kind of okay with dying if it meant he took the Collector with him, but he wasn't about to sacrifice Carina in the process. All he could do was stand there and take it.

"I am going to take you back to your room now. You can fight me if you wish, but you know how that ends." The Collector snapped his fingers and a crippling pain shot through Quill's body from the tattoo on the back of his neck, dropping him to one knee. Quill gritted his teeth, enduring it the best he could. It wasn't the worst the Collector had ever done to him. It did hurt though. Thankfully, it only lasted another second before the Collector mercifully stopped it. "On the other hand, if you cooperate and go willingly, I will spare Carina her punishment. That's more than fair, don't you think?"

Quill got to his feet and avoided looking at the Collector as he obediently made his way back to his room. Once he was inside and sitting on the bed, the Collector closed the door and locked it up behind him. Quill waited another minute to make sure that the Collector was really gone before tossing his pillow aside and grabbing the infinity stone. "Save my mom," Quill said desperately, tears falling from his eyes. This had to work. If it didn't work... A level of devastation he'd never known before started to take root in his mind. "Please! If you can't do that at least give me the means to do it myself. Remove the brand or... I don't know. Take me to Morag!"

The infinity stone lit up.

\-----------------------

Stephen had gotten Tony and the others to Morag almost instantaneously by opening up a portal. That bought them some time they hadn't had before, but they still had to actually find Meredith. "Okay, where to now?" Tony asked the question that was on everybody's minds.

"You don't happen to have a trick for finding people, do you?" Thor asked Stephen.

"Not an effective one," Stephen replied.

"You want to elaborate on that?" Tony asked.

"I found the three of you by examining possible futures and using portals to travel around and see if I could find you based on that information. It took quite a bit of time and a lot of luck."

"That still might be our best bet," Steve said, "our other option is wandering around and hoping I pick the same path that she did."

"How likely do you think that is?"

"Out here in the wilderness? Not likely. She's much more predictable when it comes to towns."

"Alright. I'll do what I can," Stephen said, taking a seat on the ground and crossing his legs.

"What should we do while you're doing that?" Tony asked.

"Whatever you'd like. Just don't interrupt me." That said, Stephen closed his eyes and entered a trance.

"Well, he's turned out to be quite useful," Thor commented.

"Yeah, but he could be friendlier," Tony responded with a grunt. "I'd probably be more suspicious of him if he was though."

"You did give Steve a hard time when he joined."

When Steve didn't weigh in on the conversation, both Tony and Thor glanced his way. He was busy pacing back and forth nervously.

"It's going to be okay, Steve," Tony said gently, "we're going to find her and keep her safe."

"I know, I just don't like standing around and waiting like this. I feel like I should be doing something," Steve confessed.

"How about answering a question then?" Tony asked.

Steve paused, looking at Tony curiously. "What kind of question?"

"Back when we were talking to that bartender, you reacted to something he said. Do you know what's so special about your friend's son?"

"I don't actually know, but..." Steve hesitated for a moment, thinking his words through, "what that bartender said made me think of something. Meredith always said that Peter's father came from up there." Steve pointed upward and sighed.

"From the sky?" Tony asked, a bit perplexed.

Steve nodded. "I figured she just thought telling the story that way was more exciting, but now I'm not so sure. She may have actually meant it literally. I mean, if Peter's father really was from... up there, that would probably make him pretty interesting to the Collector, right?"

"That's crazy though, isn't it?"

"Asgardians believe that our people are descended from gods," Thor said, "it might not actually be that weird. Don't you guys have stories about beings called Celestials?"

"You mean like angels?" Steve asked.

"Yes. Maybe Quill's father is one of those."

"That would explain why the Collector wouldn't be willing to part with him," Tony said. He wasn't sure he believed it. Still, whether he believed it or not didn't matter. It was whether or not the Collector believed it that mattered.

"Anyway, it was just a thought," Steve said dismissively, "we can ask Meredith when we get to her. She'll be able to clarify what she meant."

"True."

Stephen suddenly opened his eyes. "I think I've got it," he said, standing up and drawing a magical circle to form a portal.

"That fast?"

"She's already dead in most timelines," Stephen said, keeping a neutral tone, "that cut down the work significantly."

"What?" Steve asked. That bit of news had clearly upset him.

"Through the portal. We can discuss that later."

"Right," Steve said. He still looked troubled, but he managed to focus on the task at hand and go through the portal. At Thor's insistence, Tony went next.

On the other side, they immediately found the body of a woman with long blond hair sprawled out on the ground.

"No. We can't be too late," Steve said, rushing over to her. He scooped her up in her arms and shook her. "Come on, Meredith."

As Tony was wondering what he should say to comfort Steve, Meredith groggily opened her eyes. "Steve?" she asked, "what's the matter, sweetie?"

Steve blinked in confusion. "What's the matter?" he asked, a little bit of concerned anger seeping into his tone, "what did you expect my reaction to be when I found you lying on the ground like you were dead!"

"Hm? Is that what it looked like?" Meredith asked, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I was just so tired. I couldn't even work up the energy to pull out my bedroll."

"You have to take better care of yourself."

"I know, but Steve," Meredith started, her eyes lighting up, "I finally found someone who'd seen my son. He's here in Morag somewhere!"

"Actually... that's not right. The guy who told you that lied to you."

Meredith's face fell instantly. "I guess I should have known it was too good to be true."

Tony figured he could leave the explaining to Steve. That in mind, he turned around to talk to the others about their next move. Except, they weren't there. In fact, there wasn't even a portal for them to come through. "Hey, Steve," Tony started, "we've got a bit of a problem."

\-----------------------

"Taserface, I presume," Thor said with a growl.

The leader of the mercenaries surrounding him and Stephen stepped forward and laughed, "I see my reputation proceeds me. Now, if you'll just keep that magic portal open for--"

Stephen immediately responded by dropping the spell. It was a move that could very well get them killed, but Thor appreciated it nonetheless.

Taserface fumed for a moment before collecting himself. "I don't think you understand how dire your situation is right now." It was kind of obvious, actually. Over half of his men had arrows pointed at the two of them. Thor was confident in his abilities, but he probably couldn't realistically survive that many arrows.

"Any chance you saw this coming and have a plan?" Thor asked Stephen.

"Embarrassingly, I have to admit that I didn't quite get that far," Stephen replied calmly.

"Hope you're quick with that magic of yours then."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, uh, went a bit dark with this chapter. Gotta earn that explicit rating somehow, right? O_O
> 
> If you're worried about content warnings, the Clint part of this chapter contains some graphic descriptions of violence and mentions of past rape. Figured I'd give you guys the heads up.

Natasha had stopped by the kitchen to steal a bit of food before heading for the place she'd hidden the Hydra robe. Once she put it on, she tucked the food away and went to the hidden entrance. After making sure that nobody was coming, she triggered it. She'd been scoping the area out more recently. With the robes on, nobody seemed to question her presence. Because of that, she'd slowly been able to piece together the best times to come. Now was one of those times. Hardly anyone was around so she figured that she'd risk speaking to Bruce.

When she made it to the cell, she peered into it. He looked just as bad as before, if not worse. The green sections of skin now covered the majority of his body. "Bruce," she said quietly.

With tremendous effort, he turned her way.

"Hey there, big guy," she smiled.

"You can't be here. It's too risky."

"Well, I am here, I'm taking that risk, and there's not much you can do about it," Natasha replied, "can you come closer?"

Bruce took a deep breath and got to his feet. Natasha pulled the food she'd stolen out and held it out through the bars.

"I know it's not much. I wanted to bring you something for your wounds too, but... I was afraid that sort of thing would be noticeable. Food though? As long as it's hidden away in your stomach, I think we're fine."

"You are an angel," Bruce smiled, accepting the food. He took a seat close to the bars and started eating. It was just a small loaf of bread and some cheese, but Bruce looked at it like it was a full blown feast.

Natasha took a seat next to him on the other side. "Any news worth noting?" Natasha asked.

"They sent the twins out."

Natasha nodded. She'd known about that.

"And the assassin they sent after Tony lost track of him. Said Tony teamed up with a wizard that was able to teleport them away."

"That's... actually good news."

"I know," Bruce said with a small smile, "between that and the extra snack, it's been a good day."

\-----------------------

"It is nice to have another girl on the team," Mantis told Gamora cheerfully as the group made their way towards Wakanda. They'd left the forests of Ferrum behind and were now in the middle of overgrown jungle terrain.

"Don't get used to it," Gamora replied. She didn't have anything against the girl-- in fact, she was the most likable of the bunch-- but she didn't see this partnership lasting long enough for them to form a genuine relationship. "I'm only here temporarily."

"I know, but it's still nice." Mantis smiled as she said it, but she did seem a little disappointed.

Gamora decided she could probably be a bit friendlier. In an attempt to make conversation, she asked, "so, why'd you choose to join up with these guys? I mean, them I get. They all seem like bloodthirsty psychopaths, but you..."

"Because Clint saved me," Mantis replied, her tone neutral, "and I had nowhere else to go anyway."

"Oh. Sorry."

"There is no need to be sorry. I'm happy now. The others all accept me without question and if I was in trouble, they'd come to my rescue. We may not have met under the happiest circumstances, but they're family to me now."

That... actually sounded kind of nice. Gamora may have been Thano's daughter, but he didn't exactly treat her or Nebula like it. He'd taught them to survive and that was about it. Maybe coming from him that was a way of expressing affection, but it left a lot to be desired.

"The others are not bloodthirsty psychopaths, by the way," Mantis spoke up, "well, maybe Rocket is, but the other three aren't. Groot and Drax are very sensitive. And Clint... He is just sad."

Yeah. She'd gotten that vibe from him before. He was basically a dead man walking. She didn't know the reason why though. She was about to inquire further when Clint held up his hand to stop them.

Out from the foliage came several women, bald with red clothes and powerful builds. They carried spears that were all currently pointed at Clint and the others. Their leader stepped forward and said, "this land belongs to Wakanda. You are trespassing."

"I know," Clint replied, "and I apologize for that, but we've come seeking an audience with your king."

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to gather enough warriors to take down King Stane and return Ferrum's throne to King Howard's son."

"King Howard's son is supposed to be dead."

"But he's not."

The woman considered for a moment and then made her decision. "You will leave your weapons with us. I doubt the king will give you what you want, but I imagine that he'll at least want to hear what you know."

"All I ask is for the chance to change his mind."

"This, you will have."

\-----------------------

"I appreciate you bringing us this news," Wakanda's king, T'Challa said, "but I can not help you. Wakanda has always survived by staying out of other kingdom's affairs when it comes to war. Our neutrality is how we have maintained peace."

Clint took a deep breath. That was the answer he had expected. Still, he had to keep pushing. If Thanos was doing his best to recruit the Asgardians, he had to at least match that effort. "I understand and respect that. Wars are not something that should be undertaken lightly. However, Stane is evil in every sense of the word. The crimes he has committed for his own satisfaction are staggering and forces powerful enough to stop him choosing to idly sit by is exactly what allows him to get away with them."

"I do sympathize, but my responsibility is to--"

"What crimes?" a woman with short hair and spirited eyes cut in. Clint wasn't sure if she was brave or foolish for interrupting her king. "You have to be specific."

"Nakia, we have been over this."

"Listen to him, T'Challa. Hear first hand the atrocities we have been ignoring!"

Clint chewed his bottom lip. She was right. That was the way to make the king understand. Still... the last thing he wanted to do was relive that day.

Drax stepped forward. "I was out hunting to provide for my family when I saw smoke coming from the direction of my village. I ran back as fast as I could, but by the time I got there, it was too late. Stane's men had selected several non-humans, dragged them out of their homes, and burned them on stakes in the village square. My wife and daughter were among them."

Rocket looked Groot's way and then stepped up to take his turn. "We didn't get it as bad, but... we were constantly harassed by humans before Stane started officially exiling non-humans. If someone tried to beat us up or rob us, we were just expected to take it. Heaven forbid defending yourself. That's how Groot and I became wanted criminals. And, just to be clear, if we'd been caught, the punishment would have been death. All I did was give the asshole a black eye. Groot didn't even do anything."

"I was never in the thick of it," Gamora said, "but my father started taking in refugees. I've heard hundreds of stories like these. Most of the people that come to us have serious burns, are missing limbs, have lash marks on their backs, and so on. And those are the lucky ones. The ones that managed to survive long enough to reach us."

"I..." Mantis faltered. Clint's heart broke for her. He knew her story and he hadn't expected her to volunteer it. If that was as far as she got, he'd understand. But she didn't stop there. Knowing how important this moment was, she powered through. "No one was prosecuting violence against non-humans so a man that lived in the same village as me decided he could do as he pleased with me. He kidnapped me and locked me in his cellar. He... made me his pet and... he'd do things to me. He..." Mantis' eyes went wide as she got lost in the memory.

Clint went over to her and took her hand. "They understand," he said softly, "you don't have to say anymore."

She gritted her teeth as tears streamed from her eyes. "I didn't deserve that! I didn't deserve any of that!" Clint hugged her as she wailed into his shoulder. T'Challa couldn't hide how devastated Mantis' story had made him.

Clint took a moment to collect himself. If Mantis had been brave enough to tell her story, there was no excuse for him not to add his to the pile. "When Stane was crowned king, I spoke out against him. For that crime, he sent soldiers to my house when I was away. They killed my wife, my kids, and my servants. They hung my family's corpses from the windows. The servants, they chopped into bits. Their limbs were scattered across the floor and jumbled together like puzzle pieces." Clint locked eyes with T'Challa and asked, "can you really sit there and ignore that?"

T'Challa closed his eyes. "No," he said dryly, "I cannot. Wakanda allies itself with you, Clint Barton."

\-----------------------

Thanos was escorted to Asgard's throne room without much fuss, something he credited to the Asgardians confidence in their ability to handle any threat that may arise. It wasn't undeserved. From the tales Thanos had heard, they were peerless warriors. The king's son, Thor, had even been described as a god of battle. Thanos was looking forward to crushing him-- should it actually come to that. He supposed there was a small chance asking nicely would work.

Thanos kept going forward until he reached the throne. Upon it sat an old man with one eye wearing a gold helm. Despite his age, he still radiated power. Even without the throne underneath him, Thanos was sure he'd recognize him as King Odin. To his side stood a woman dressed in black armor. Her long hair was just as dark as her outfit and her blue eyes were outlined by a smear of black eyeshadow. She wore an amused smirk that seemed out of place with grim attitude exuding from the rest of the room's inhabitants.

"Who are you and what have you come for?" Odin asked sternly.

"I am Thanos and I have come to request the aid of your army."

"The Mad Titan in the flesh," the woman at Odin's side said, her grin widening.

Odin held up a hand to silence her and addressed Thanos. "And why should I commit my army to your cause?"

"Because King Howard was your ally before his throne was stolen by Obadiah Stane. If you had any honor, you would not let that crime stand-- not while Howard's son still lives."

"That is impossible. The news that reached us was very clear on the fact that he was dead."

"I'm not surprised. That was the narrative Stane would want you to believe. But I have other sources that say that Tony Stark is alive and that he was in your very kingdom up until recently."  
Odin's eyes went wide. "The blacksmith's apprentice..."

"You knew him while he was here?"

"Not well. My son fraternized with him on a regular basis though. I suppose it should have been obvious."

"Then you will help him?"

"I will give you the same answer I gave my son," Odin said, leaning back in his chair, "no. King Howard and I may have been allies, but his son is not suited for the throne. Restoring him to it would be a waste of time-- not to mention resources."

"Or you are a coward."

Odin's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I see that your son isn't here. Did he abandon you to help his friend? At least someone in your bloodline has some honor."

"Enough! You dare insult me after you've come begging--"

"I am not begging," Thanos said, drawing his sword. Odin's guards responded by pulling their own swords. "I am challenging. The people of Asgard respect strength, correct? Then allow me to show you mine. I propose a duel, your best warrior against me. If I win, you help me."

"And if you don't?"

"Then my life is yours to do what you will with."

"Then so be it. I accept your challenge. You will fight my daughter, Hela."

The woman at Odin's side stepped forward and unsheathed a sword of her own. Thanos moved into position and Hela followed suit as Odin set the rules. There weren't many. Basically, anything went and the match wasn't considered over until someone surrendered or died. Once he finished, the duel officially started. Thanos and Hela began circling each other, eyes locked.

Hela moved first, lunging forward. Thanos moved to block it, but the attack ended up being a feint. Hela pulled back at the last second and went in for a low strike. If Thanos had been any slower, that attack would have ended the fight. Instead, Thanos was able to bring his own blade down on hers and knock it aside. Hela took a few steps back, putting enough distance between them for her to reassess the situation.

"Not bad," she smiled.

Thanos returned the smile and charged. It was time to show her what he could really do. He took a few swings, testing her reflexes before switching it up with a mighty blow. She responded by locking her blade with his and matching his strength, an impressive feat for a human. Asgardians really were a cut above the other ones. He kicked her shin, causing her defense to falter. He pursued his advantage and pushed her to the ground. Thanos then stepped over her as she glowered at him. He thought he had her, but then Hela pulled a dagger from her belt and stabbed him in the leg. He winced as she slid through his legs and got to her feet behind him.

Now she was wearing on his patience. Thanos turned around and attacked. She dodged it for the most part, but he did manage to nick her arm. Hela's cool smile immediately turned into a frown. It seemed she wasn't so cocky now that he'd drawn blood. They continued exchanging blows, neither of them giving an inch. Thanos could tell Hela was wearing down though. She was good at hiding it, but he could hear the faster pace of her breathing. If he was right, she was going to go all out on her next attack.

Quick as lightning, Hela unleashed a flurry of blows. Thanos blocked all of them and readied himself for her last attack. Sure enough, she put all of her might behind the last swing. He caught it with his sword and pushed back. Hela grinned and dropped her sword as she ducked under his guard and rammed into him with such force that she managed to knock both of them over. Then she pulled her dagger from Thano's leg and put it to his throat. Well, Thanos hadn't seen that coming. Still, he'd reacted quickly enough to push the point of his sword against her stomach. They were at a stalemate.

"Hm. Well, this wasn't the outcome I expected," Hela commented.

"It wasn't the outcome I expected either," Thanos said, "you are gifted with a sword."

"I'll have you know, I'm gifted with more than just a sword," she grinned.

Thanos blinked. Was she flirting with him? He certainly wasn't uninterested. Hela was a one of a kind warrior. Of course, their current situation wasn't exactly ideal for a budding romance.

Hela turned to her father and said, "it seems our duel has ended in a tie. I imagine you would rule that Thanos gets to keep his life, but does not get to use Asgard's army. However, I have an alternative arrangement in mind." She took the dagger away from Thano's throat, but didn't give up her position straddling him. Thanos decided to put down his sword in return. He had to admit, he was curious about what she had to say. "I suggest that we help Thanos in exchange for an alliance-- one to be sealed with a marriage."

"Are you mad, daughter?!"

"Think about it, father. This man is strong. As strong as I am. And I'm sure the people who follow him are strong as well. With our might combined, Asgard would be at least twice as strong as it is now. And, if we do help Stark reclaim his throne, he will owe us a debt. Ferrum is rich in resources, especially in metals we use for our armor and weapons."

Odin hesitated, considering Hela's words.

Since that hadn't won him over completely, Hela sighed and added one last point. "And you'll get your son back. Helping Tony is what he wanted in the first place. Do that, and there won't be any reason for him not to come home and be the king you want him to be."

"You speak true, daughter. Still, I do not see why it would be necessary for you to marry this man."

"Marriages are more permanent than simple agreements. They ensure a level of actual investment. Besides, I have yet to meet anyone else who is worthy of the honor."

Odin groaned, but relented. "Fine. Thanos will have our aid if he agrees to the alliance. However, the marriage aspect is up to him. I will agree to it only if he does as well."

Thanos laughed. This woman really was something else. But he liked it. "I agree to your terms and I will gladly marry your daughter."

This was going to be the beginning of a very interesting partnership.

\-----------------------

"Congratulations are in order, I suppose," Loki said, catching his sister in the hallway. "I don't see what you see in him, but to each their own."

"That is because you value trickery, illusions," Hela replied in an annoyed tone, "you don't understand the appeal of raw power."

"If only I thought that was all you were after."

"I can't have just been stricken by love at first fight?"

"The issue I take with that statement is that it implies you can actually love something in the first place." Loki stared at his nails carelessly.

"I am not amused, brother," Hela said, "if you have something to say, just say it."

"Right to the point, I see. Fine. What is your game here?"

Hela smirked and started walking away. "Why would I ever tell you?"

She was definitely up to something. Loki didn't like that-- especially since Thor wasn't around to put a stop to it.


	9. Chapter 9

Thor took a deep breath. With dozens of bows pointed at him and Stephen, their odds weren't exactly great. Still, he wasn't ready to give up-- not by a long shot. Thor was about to make his move when a loud crashing noise came from behind Taserface and his men.

"Oww," groaned a familiar voice. Thor instinctively looked over to find Quill, leaves stuck in his hair as he rubbed his back. Had he... just fallen from one of the trees?

Stephen made use of the distraction and quickly conjured up a portal. He then took Thor by the wrist and pulled him along as they stepped through it. The portal put them in a position where they were flanking a few of their attackers. Thor didn't waste any time cutting them down. He then turned to Stephen and said, "get me to Quill."

It took Stephen a second to process the request, but he did figure it out without Thor giving him more information. He opened up a portal for Thor and then launched a couple of spells at Taserface's men. Thor dove through it without hesitation and ended up next to Quill.

"T-Thor?" Quill asked, still reeling in surprise.

"The one and only," Thor grinned, "you have a weapon?"

"No."

Thor charged forward and slaughtered the nearest enemy. As the man fell, Thor pulled the guy's sword out of its sheath and tossed it to the ground near Quill. "Now you do."

"Right," Quill said, grabbing the weapon and getting to his feet. Thor kept a close eye on him as they fought their way through the next couple of enemies. Quill was a bit sloppy with the sword, but his reflexes were good. He never let his opponent get too close. When Thor took down one of the archers, Quill put down the sword and replaced it with the man's bow. Quill quickly honed in on Taserface and took a shot. The arrow sunk deep into the man's stomach.

Taserface groaned in pain and frustration as he reluctantly issued his next order, "retreat!"

Thor relaxed slightly as he watched Taserface and his men flee. At least, until he noticed Quill go after him. "Quill, stop!" Thor yelled.

Quill gave him an apologetic look, but didn't listen. He fired another shot at Taserface and kept moving. Seeing that the boss was in trouble, one of Taserface's archers notched an arrow and aimed it at Quill.

"Don't! The Collector won't forgive--" Taserface's words came too late. The archer had taken the shot. Thor bolted towards Quill, managing to reach him just in time to cover him with his own body. The arrow hit Thor in the back of the shoulder as Quill struggled to get loose.

"Let me go!" he yelled, "he ruined my life! He doesn't get to get away with that! I have to kill him! I have to--" Thor tightened his grip. Quill responded by stepping on Thor's foot and biting his arm. It almost worked, but Thor managed to grab Quill again and wrestle him to the ground.

"You realize you almost just got yourself killed, right?" Thor growled, meeting Quill's glare as he pinned Quill's arms above his head.

"I don't care!" Quill gritted his teeth and tried shifting his legs. Thor couldn't believe he was actually still fighting against him. 

"Yeah? Well, I do!"

"I barely even know you! Why the hell would you even give me a second thought?"

Fuck it. Enough was enough. Quill wanted an answer? Thor was happy to give him one. Thor shifted his weight, reasserting his position on top of Quill before leaning in and kissing him. Quill's eyes bolted open in surprise, but he didn't fight back. Instead, he slowly relaxed into it. Thor cautiously let go of Quill's wrists and started pulling away. He half expected Quill to punch him, but that didn't happen. Instead, Quill grabbed Thor's cheeks and pulled him back in. Thor chuckled as they kissed, thrilled that Quill hadn't rejected him. He'd honestly been a little afraid of that possibility. And that was strange. It had been a long time since Thor had felt fear of any sort. One of Quill's hands moved down Thor's chest and over his stomach before coming to a stop between his legs. Thor blushed slightly in surprise. That was definitely an invitation-- one that Thor intended to accept.

That is, until Stephen cleared his throat and reminded the two of them that he was still there. "You aren't seriously thinking about having sex while you have an arrow sticking out of the back of your shoulder, are you?" Stephen asked. His tone was very judgmental.

"Ah, that's right," Quill said, "I'm really sorry about that!"

"It's fine," Thor replied dismissively. There probably wasn't any chance of recovering the mood from before, was there? That thought in mind, he let out a slightly defeated sigh and got to his feet. He helped Quill up next as he added, "this is nothing."

"It's not nothing."

"Look, all of this is... something, but we really should get back to the task at hand," Stephen said, crossing his arms. "We need to regroup with Tony and Steve. Besides, I imagine Quill would like to see his mother."

"You know where she is? Is she okay?" Quill asked quickly.

"She's fine," Stephen said, "and she should be fine for the foreseeable future seeing as she'll be in our care from now on."

"So... she's safe?"

"Yeah. She's safe," Thor said.

Quill dropped to his knees. "Thank goodness." He took deep breath and let himself process that information properly for a moment before asking, "why are you guys helping her though?"

"She's friends with one of our party members. When we heard she was in trouble, we had to intervene."

Quill got to his feet, a large grin on his face. "That's... kind of a crazy coincidence. Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to have things go my way for once." His smile faltered as he added, "too bad it can't last, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

Quill stepped forward and took Thor's hand before turning to Stephen. "I'm borrowing him for a minute." That said, Quill reached into his pocket and pulled out a bright blue stone. It sent them to a room with fancy furniture. For a second, Thor thought he might actually get a chance to finish what they started back in Morag.

"What is this place?" Thor asked.

"My prison," Quill replied in a matter-of-fact tone as he walked over to the wardrobe. He pulled out a fancy tunic and started tearing it to shreds.

"What are you doing that for?"

"For your wound," Quill said, moving closer to Thor. "I'm going to pull out the arrow now, alright?"

Thor nodded. Quill gave him a second to brace himself and then pulled it out. Thor hadn't really needed that second. Like he'd told Quill before, this was nothing. Thor was used to injuries that were way worse than this one. Quill directed him to take off his shirt next. Thor obeyed, but didn't miss the chance to tease him. "So, we're really doing this then?"

"No," Quill said, face turning slightly red. "We're dressing your wound and that's it."

"That's unfortunate."

"Hey, um... Why did you kiss me?" Quill asked shyly as he wrapped the scraps of cloth over the wound. "A-actually, nevermind. I guess I know already. I mean, I was pretty out of control. I didn't give you much of a choice."

"I kissed you because I like you," Thor said bluntly, "I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"Oh."

"How about you? Why did you kiss me back?"

"I... don't know. It just felt like what I should do."

"Do you regret it?"

Quill shook his head. "I imagine it's the last good memory I'll have for a long time."

"Because you're still stuck here," Thor sighed sadly.

"Oh, it'll be worse than just that. As soon as Taserface reports back, the Collector will start piecing together what I did. Which brings me to this next part." Quill pulled the stone out once more and placed it in Thor's hand. "It's yours. As payment for keeping my mom safe."

"This is what teleported you to Morag?"

"Yes. It's one of the infinity stones. They're powerful, but they can be dangerous too. As far as I can tell, this one will take you wherever you want as long as you're holding it. You just have to say or think about the place you want to go."

"I can't take this, Quill. This is basically your key to freedom."

"Trust me, I know. But I'm not going to be able to keep it anyway. The Collector is bound to search my room after all of this and the last thing I want is him getting his hands on it. It would have just been a false freedom anyway. As long as I have the Collector's brand on the back of my neck, he can use it to hurt me. Distance isn't a factor. I've experimented enough to know that much. I can't outrun him."

"What if I killed him?" Thor asked seriously.

"Me and the rest of the Collector's slaves would die with him. Another perk of this mark, I'm afraid."

"Then I have to figure out how to get rid of it."

"I've tried," Quill said, tone sober. "I haven't found anyone who can do that."

"These infinity stones you mentioned... could they help?"

"I... I don't know. I know there are six of them and that they're different colors, but I don't actually know what they do."

"Then maybe one of them can take away that brand."

"Maybe," Quill frowned, "but you don't really have time to search for them, do you?"

"...Not right now, no," Thor admitted. He'd already committed himself to Tony's cause. He couldn't just abandon his friend. Especially not when Tony was in so much danger.

"That's what I thought."

"Quill..."

"Just protect my mom, okay? That's all I really want."

"Right," Thor frowned. He wished he could do more. "We should get back if you want to see your mom before the Collector catches on."

Quill shook his head. "I'm not going. I can't. If I see her now... I wouldn't be able to bring myself back here."

"But--"

"It's fine," Quill said, forcing a smile, "so get going, alright?"

Thor put a hand on Quill's shoulder and made a promise. "This isn't forever. I will get you out of here."

"Don't hold it against me if I don't really believe you," Quill replied, "it is a nice thought though." He hesitated a moment and then added, "I probably won't get another chance to say it, so... thank you. For everything. I'm glad our paths crossed, however briefly."

"Me too," Thor said. He'd wanted to say that their paths would cross again, but he was sure Quill would just take that as another promise he didn't think Thor would actually fulfill. He'd have to actually show Quill that he'd meant every word.

"Don't come back here. It'll be too risky once the Collector knows," Quill said, crossing his arms and backing away from Thor. "Now, get going."

Thor nodded. "Until next time, Quill."

\-----------------------

Stephen let out an impatient sigh as he waited for Thor to come back. Him and Quill had definitely been gone for more than a minute at this point. Stephen suspected he knew why, but he wished they'd hurry. Tony and Steve were most likely panicking at this point. He should probably just portal over there and fill them in. Of course, knowing his luck, that'd be the exact moment Thor and Quill would choose to come back. Well, Thor at least. Stephen had gotten the impression that Quill didn't plan on returning. Otherwise, he probably would have gone to see his mother before pulling this stunt. Stephen decided to wait a little longer.

Sure enough, Thor reappeared a few minutes later without Quill. Stephen decided not to comment on that. Instead, he responded with a prodding question. "I trust that you've satisfied your carnal desires and are ready to get back to the task at hand?"

"I wish," Thor sighed.

Stephen gave Thor his best judgmental expression.

"But yes, I'm ready to get back to Tony and Steve. They're probably pretty worried by now."

"You think?" Stephen asked as he drew up a new portal. He hesitated for a moment and then brought up the subject he'd been curious about. "By the way, your 'friend's' ability to teleport..."

"It came from this," Thor said, holding up the Infinity Stone.

"The Space Stone," Stephen commented. He wasn't sure he liked that bit of news. Having one of the Infinity Stones in their possession would be useful, but if they were actually resurfacing... Stephen wouldn't be surprised if the stones had something to do with the supposed calamity he was trying to prevent.

"You know about the Infinity Stones?"

"Yes," Stephen said, keeping his answer short.

"Do you think collecting the rest of them is our way of getting Tony his kingdom back?"

Stephen hesitated. That was something to consider. "We can have that discussion with the others," he said, making his way through the portal he conjured. Thor followed behind him. Once they were both on the other side, it wasn't long before they met up with a very concerned Tony and Steve.

"What the hell happened?" Tony exclaimed.

"We ran into Taserface and his men," Stephen replied calmly. He looked Thor's way, wondering if he should mention Quill. Thor caught his gaze and subtly shook his head. Stephen figured there was no harm in keeping that information to themselves. The only thing he imagined it doing was hurting Meredith anyway. "We managed to fight them off. Thor got shot by an arrow in the process, but he's fine."

"I'm sorry we weren't there to help," Steve said.

"It worked out. In any case, there's no point in lingering on it. We need to figure out our next move."

"It'd probably be good to put some more distance between Taserface and ourselves," Thor suggested. "Then maybe we could set up camp and discuss our options?"

Stephen nodded. "Any suggestions on where I should take us?"

"Maybe... Eitri's place in Asgard?" Tony suggested. "He'd be willing to put us up for the night and our enemies won't expect us to go back there."

"I don't know," Thor frowned, "going back home doesn't sound like a great idea to me considering the way I left. Also, you're technically exiled."

"No one has to know we're back."

"I guess. Do we have any other options?"

Stephen remained silent. He couldn't take them to the Sanctum. It was off limits to outsiders. Steve and Meredith didn't offer up any suggestions either. 

Thor sighed. "I guess that's our destination then."

\-----------------------

When the five of them suddenly appeared in Eitri's home, the dwarf's first instinct was to grab the nearest weapon. Luckily, Tony was able to calm him down before anyone got hurt and proceeded to explain the situation. "So, basically, we could really use your help if you don't mind letting us stay the night."

Eitri looked the group over for a moment before letting out a sigh and saying, "yeah. Alright. But no drinking. I'm not risking my neck just so you two can end up naked in a barn with a set of twins again." At that, he specifically looked at Tony and Thor. He then turned to Meredith and gave her a polite nod. "Ma'am."

The group spent the next few minutes figuring out sleeping arrangements before Eitri called them to dinner. Eitri's dining table wasn't big enough and he didn't have enough chairs anyway so, once everyone had their plate of food, they all took a seat on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Thor asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"Yeah, you could say that," Eitri said nonchalantly. "Your sister is getting married."

"What? To who?" Thor asked with a slight growl in his tone. Tony got the sense he was ready to beat up the guy.

"Some warlord named Thanos. He's been making quite a name for himself over in Ferrum. Which reminds me..." Eitri's eyes shifted to Tony, "your secret's out. Everyone in Asgard knows you're King Howard's son."

"...I should have told you myself," Tony frowned.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything. I know why you didn't," Eitri said dismissively, "but you should know that Thanos came to Asgard with the intention of enlisting its army. He said that he wants to put you on Ferrum's throne."

"What did Odin say?"

"He said no. At first, anyway. But then Thanos issued a challenge. He fought Hela to a draw and she convinced Odin to ally with him."

"So... you're saying that I have an army on my side?" Tony asked cautiously. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Yes, the whole plan to get Ferrum back was seeming more likely, but those soldiers weren't loyal to him. If they succeeded and he was made King, he might very well be subject to Thanos and Asgard's whims.

"It seems to convenient, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

"I don't know how King Odin would react to you turning up here again, but you may want to talk to him," Eitri said, "just don't tell him I'm letting you stay here if you do. Just because he's agreed to fight for your cause doesn't mean he wouldn't punish me for allowing you to stay here. You are still technically exiled."

"We can't talk to father," Thor said, shaking his head. "He'd make me leave your side. At least, he'd try to."

"We could really use more information though..." Tony sighed.

"Then let's talk to Loki," Thor said.


	10. Chapter 10

Natasha made her way to the kitchen. She was hoping she'd be able to get her hands on something for Bruce. He may have been against her visits, but she didn't like the idea of leaving him down there on his own. It was bad enough that she couldn't do anything about whatever torture Zola was inflicting on him. She frowned, wondering what exactly Zola was trying to accomplish with his experiments. That was probably something she should look into. 

"Lady Natasha," Stane said with a smile once he saw her. 

She smiled in return, hoping it didn't look to fake. "My king."

"Out on one of your walks?"

"Naturally. You know I get restless if I spend too much time in my room."

"That is one of the things I find endearing about you."

"Oh? Now I'm curious. What else do you find endearing about me?"

"Everything, really. There is no woman out there quite like you."

"I'm flattered."

"And, having come to realize that, I've made a decision," Stane said. He got down on one knee. Natasha froze. An uneasy dread took hold of her as he took her hands into his. "Natasha Romanov, you are the most beautiful woman this world has to offer. Your wit and charm has been a constant comfort to me and I can not imagine letting another man have you. Therefore, I ask that you do me the great honor of becoming my wife."

"Y-you're wife? You're proposing to me?" Natasha asked, dumbfounded. She'd always known that this was a possibility, but she'd hoped that he would want to keep his options open.

"I am," he smiled.

Natasha collected herself. In her current position, there was only one answer she could give. As much as she dreaded the thought, she forced another smile and said, "only a fool would deny her king such a request."

"That is a yes then?"

"It's a yes." Stane got up and leaned in to kiss her. She put a finger on his lips and said, "I want our first kiss to be on our wedding day. Will you wait until then? For me?"

"I suppose I can humor your romantic side," Stane said with a sigh. "Besides, it won't be long until the actual day."

"What do you mean?"

"I've already put the plans in motion."

"Before I even said yes?"

"Let's be honest," Stane smiled, "you were never going to say no. I wouldn't have let you." He'd tried to make that last line sound charming, but Natasha recognized it for what it was. He was in control. Everyone in his kingdom was there for his own enjoyment. Including her.

She took a deep breath and said, "well, I want to take a look at those plans. If I'm going to get married, everything has to be absolutely perfect. I will not accept anything less than the best." It wasn't much, but she could probably delay things a little if she complained enough.

"Of course, my dear," Stane said.

Natasha had to come up with more ways to sabotage the engagement without compromising her position. It wasn't going to be an easy feat, but when the alternative was actually getting married to Stane... she'd find a way. No matter what.

\-----------------------

Clint kept a close eye on Mantis as him and his group made their way back to Thanos' fortress. She seemed alright, all things considered. She had a smile on her face and even laughed a couple of times while she talked to Drax, Rocket, and Groot. Still, he had to wonder if all of that was a facade. He wasn't sure anyone could be okay after revealing what she did.

"Your friend is very brave," Nakia said, slowing down to match her pace to Clint's. T'Challa had agreed to let her assist them while Wakanda's army prepared for battle-- not that Nakia needed his permission. Clint had only known her for a few hours now, but he was already well aware of how spirited and stubborn she could be.

"She is," Clint agreed. He'd never be able to smile like that so soon after revealing the events in his past. He turned to Nakia and said, "but she isn't the only one. You were brave back there too."

"That wasn't bravery," Nakia said, shaking her head, "it was the right thing to do."

"Putting yourself on the line for people you have no attachment to is brave whether it was the right thing to do or not."

"No attachment to? You see, that's where we disagree. All people are my people. We have a responsibility to each other that transcends kingdom and race. If we only look out for those closest to us, evil like Stane triumphs."

Her words tugged at something in the back of Clint's mind. He hadn't cared about much in a long time, but she'd almost rallied him for a second. Nakia sounded a little like Nat. That blind drive to do good, whatever the cost to themselves. It was a trait he admired, but it wasn't who he was. At this point, he was just a tired old fool going through the motions of being a hero.  
Gamora slowed down and let the two of them catch up. "We've got company," she said in a low voice.

"How many?" Clint asked.

"Two."

"That number seems low."

"Not if one or both of them can use magic," Nakia whispered.

"She's right," Gamora said, "prepare yourself for a fight. I'm going to try to alert the others."

That said, Gamora quickened her pace just enough to avoid rousing suspicion. She smiled at the others as if nothing was wrong and proceeded to explain the situation. Once he was sure they'd been notified, Clint took a deep breath and tried to focus. He heard some leaves rustle nearby and, quick as a flash, drew his bow, notched an arrow, and shot.

The arrow stopped in mid air wreathed in a red light. Well, fuck. They were definitely dealing with a magic user. A male sprung from the bushes and charged at Clint. He was on the younger side, with short, white colored hair that had black roots. He was lean and almost unnaturally fast. Luckily, Nakia managed to intercept him. Her chakram scraped against their attackers spiked gauntlets. The man tried attacking again, but the previous exchange had bought Gamora enough time to get join the fight.

She kicked him in the side, sending him to the ground with a hard thud, and then pursued her advantage. She stepped on his leg and thrust her sword down. He rotated his torso just in time to dodge the attack. Gamora's sword sunk into the earth beside him. Nakia moved forward to help Gamora as Clint reached for another arrow. 

He barely registered the sound of someone approaching him from behind when his vision changed. Pieces of memories flashed through his head: an argument with Howard, a delightfully chaotic dinner with his family, Natasha trying to make him laugh during an important meeting, recruiting his current companions... Then, everything settled. He wasn't in the forest with his team anymore. He was on the path leading up to his house. The stench of blood and rot hung in the air. Clint stalled. There was no need to go further. He knew what was waiting for him just over the hill. He didn't need to see it again.

"What's the matter, Clint?" a voice came from behind. It was Stane's voice. Clint's blood boiled. "Don't you want to see your wife and children again?"

Clint pulled an arrow from his quiver. He then turned and pointed his bow at Stane.

"Do it," Stane said, "it's not going to change anything. Your family will still be dead."

Clint shot the arrow. It sunk deep into Stane's chest, but it didn't seem to phase him in the slightest.

"You'll never get rid of me, Clint. The most you can hope for is that I end you and your friends quickly." Stane smiled cruelly, "I will spare Natasha though. I enjoy her far too much as my personal play thing to--"

This time, Clint shouted and charged forward. As soon as he was close enough, he threw a fist at Stane's head. It made contact, but did nothing to remove the disgusting grin from his face. Clint kept going, throwing his all into every new punch until Stane started to bleed.

"Clint! You have to stop!" Stane said desperately. Clint hesitated. For some reason, that seemed off-- as if Stane wasn't the one saying it this time. When Stane resumed grinning, Clint brushed that thought aside and kept hitting him.

"I won't stop! Not until you're dead!" Clint screamed.

"Sleep." Mantis' voice cut through the illusion. Clint relaxed as the world around him went black.

\-----------------------

"That did not go great," Pietro said with a frown once they were far enough away from Clint's group. He winced as he clutched a wound at his side. Despite the distraction of having their friend turn on them, the green woman had still managed to get in a good cut.

"Let me see the wound," Wanda said, a worried expression on her face.

Pietro pulled up his shirt. It was deeper than he'd initially thought. Still, he should live-- as long as they put a stop to the bleeding. "She was good. Too good."

"That's because she is Thanos' daughter," Wanda said with a frown. Pietro could tell her mind was elsewhere as she tended to his wound.

"He's involved then?"

"It's worse than that," Wanda said, "they've successfully allied themselves with Wakanda and Thanos is attempting to recruit Asgard."

"...If he can get Asgard, they'll have the forces they need to take on King Stane. They'll take Ferrum."

Wanda shook her head. "They'll only escalate things."

"What do you mean?"

"If Hydra decides to continue backing Stane..." Wanda let out a deep sigh, "they might resort to calling on Dormammu."

"And that's bad, I take it?" Pietro asked. He wasn't as up to date on magical entities as his sister.

"Very."

"What do you want to do?"

"I... don't know. For now, we need to get back to the castle. Relaying what I've learned is more important than killing Barton. If they know early enough... Maybe we'll be able to come up with some kind of strategy that won't involve Dormammu."

"Okay. That's what we'll do then," Pietro nodded. Wanda went quiet. She had plenty of reason to be disturbed about what she'd just told him, but Pietro got the sense that she was still holding something back. "What's wrong?"

"In Clint's memories... Natasha..."

"She's the woman Stane's taking a liking too, right? What about her?"

"Nothing," Wanda said with a frown.

Pietro sighed. She obviously wasn't telling him something, but he didn't feel like pushing her. Not right now anyway. They had enough to worry about already.

\-----------------------

When Clint came to, he saw his whole team-- including Nakia and Gamora-- hovering over him with concerned expressions. "What happened?" he asked.

"The witch put some sort of spell on you. She messed with your head," Gamora said.

"Also, you shot Groot and tried to beat up Drax," Rocket added.

"Don't worry. I barely felt your weak, baby like punches," Drax said. That didn't exactly make Clint feel better. Still, he was glad he hadn't seriously hurt anyone. If he'd shot one of the others...

"I am Groot?" Groot asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm sorry I shot you."

"I am Groot."

Clint sat up. "We didn't manage to catch one of them, did we?"

Nakia shook her head. "We were too preoccupied with you, I'm afraid."

"Right," Clint sighed. He supposed there wasn't much point in taking a captive anyway. He knew why they were after him. It's not like they would have been able to give him anything new.

"Clint," Mantis started gently, "I can sense that you're still upset. What exactly did she do to you?"

"When I attacked you guys, I was seeing Stane. She got into my memories and--" Clint stopped short. "She got into my memories!" Clint tired to stand up too quickly and ended up falling back down.

"You should rest. There's no need to--"

"We can't rest," Clint said, getting to his feet properly this time, "she knows about Nat. She'll expose her."

"You aren't going to help Nat by chasing after them and getting yourself killed," Gamora said harshly. 

There may have been some truth to that, but Clint wasn't willing to hear it. "I have to do something!"

"And we will!" Rocket said, matching Clint's volume, "you just need to give us a minute to come up with a plan, alright?"

"We can plan and walk at the same time," Drax pointed out, "we should head towards the castle."

"What about reporting back to my father?" Gamora asked.

"You're free to do as you please, princess, but we've got a friend to help," Rocket said, "and that's what we're gonna do."

"I am Groot!"

"Please tell him that we apologize for not being able to meet with him as originally planned," Mantis added.

"Nakia?" Gamora asked, turning towards her. She was probably hoping for some back up.

"Oh, I'm going with them," Nakia replied.

Gamora let out a long sigh. "Then I guess I am too."

Clint didn't know how they were going to help Natasha yet, but he was glad he wasn't going to have to do it alone.


	11. Chapter 11

Loki was in the middle of getting ready for bed when a portal appeared out of nowhere. He jumped in surprise as Thor, Tony, and a man he didn't recognize stepped out of it and into his room. "Brother," Thor said with a big grin, arms thrown wide open as if he actually expected a hug.

Loki decided the appropriate response was to throw the book currently residing on his bed stand at him. Thor caught it, looking mildly hurt by the greeting. That didn't stop Loki from feeling justified. How dare Thor come waltzing in here like he hadn't disappeared without a word? He understood not telling Odin, but Thor should have at least said something to him. "You have a lot of nerve," Loki said, crossing his arms, "barging into my room in the middle of the night without warning! Honestly, how rude. You could have at least given me a chance to put on something decent before meeting Tony and your new friend."

"It's not like we caught you naked," Thor grumbled, "the robe you're wearing is fine."

"You are such a barbarian sometimes."

Tony cleared his throat and intervened, "I know you two have some catching up to do, but is it okay if we put that off for a minute? We did come for a reason."

"Let me guess, you want to know what's been happening in Asgard?" Loki said with a careless shrug.

"That's right. Eitri gave us a few details, but we were hoping you'd have more information."

"I don't know as much as I'd like," Loki admitted, "but I am willing to share what I do. IF you tell me what you've been up to in exchange." Loki eyed Stephen curiously. He was very interested in why they suddenly had a sorcerer with them.

"I will fill you in," Thor said, "but give us your information first. Tony is going to have to make a few decisions once we have a better idea of the situation. He could use the extra time to go over his options."

"Fair enough," Loki said. His brother wasn't a liar. Thor would do what he said he would so there was no real reason to argue about the order. "You said Eitri gave you the basics? That means that you already know that Hela convinced Odin to pledge our army to Tony's cause."

"Yeah. That part we know," Tony said. 

Loki asked a few more questions to make sure the group really did have all the basics down. Once he had a good idea of what they already knew, he proceeded to fill in the blanks. "Thanos isn't working on his own," Loki said, giving up the first important detail that wasn't common knowledge, "Clint Barton-- a former noble, if I heard correctly-- is the one who allied with him first."

"I know Clint," Tony said, perking up, "he always gave me hell for my attitude back when I was still a prince. In hindsight, he was kind of right."

"You think he's trustworthy then?" the sorcerer asked.

"I do. I have my reservations about this Thanos guy though."

"As you should," Loki said, "his interests are obviously tied to the well being of non-humans. That means he has good reason to want Stane off the throne, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has your best interests in mind. He will definitely expect you to make changes on their behalf should you become king."

"I don't mind making things fairer for non-humans."

"Yes, but he may expect more from you than you are willing to give. It's all well and good to want things to be better for non-humans, but if it comes at the cost of the well being of your own people..."

"That's true," Tony said with a sigh.

"In any case, if you do rely on him you will owe him a favor. And he's not the only one you'll owe."

"What's Odin going to want from me?"

"Simply put, Thor."

"Me?" Thor asked.

Loki turned his way and said, "in return for helping your friend, he'll expect you to come home and take your role as prince seriously for once."

"...I can't do that. Not in the way he wants me to."

"Do you want Tony on the throne?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then stop whining. You know how many people would kill to be in your position?"

"Well, you and Hela for starters," Thor said with a bit of a huff.

"Exactly. What's so bad about being the favorite to become king?"

"It comes with expectations," Thor hesitated for a second before elaborating, "about the sort of person I can marry."

"Yes, yes. You'll have to marry someone with status. Who cares? That doesn't mean you have to give up your little side trysts. It'll be business as usual. It's not like you've ever been one to commit to a single lover anyway."

Thor frowned and lowered his gaze to the floor. Loki would have normally expected him to shrug the idea off. So why was he getting upset about it this time? He didn't actually have someone in mind did he? Loki dismissed the thought as absurd. It was time to get back to their original subject anyway. "Then you have Clint. I don't know what he'll ask for. Maybe taking down Stane will be good enough for him, but that sounds like a pretty optimistic evaluation."

"He's the least of my concerns, honestly. I doubt he'll ask for something I can't give."

"Good. That's one less worry then. Finally--"

"There's more?"

"If Clint manages to convince Wakanda to join you, yes. They seem like a reasonable kingdom, but they'll still have to get something out of the alliance."

"Hm. Wakanda too, huh? That'd be quite the army..."

"Yes. It would be."

"But I wouldn't have any real power over it. I'd be a king in name only if I accept their help."

"It's nice to know you have a brain in that head of yours," Loki smiled.

Tony sighed. "It's not like a better chance to save Ferrum is going to fall in my lap though."

"You're right about that," Loki said in a more sober tone. "Hela's interest in Thanos complicates things even more. I have no idea what she has planned, but she is definitely plotting something. She may very well try to turn Asgard and Thanos' people against you once you do have the throne."

"Not what I wanted to hear."

"You needed to hear it though. I'm not sure what choice you really have, but you should know what you're getting into. Taking down Stane will cost you."

\-----------------------

Stephen and Tony waited in silence as Thor filled Loki in on their half of the adventure. Stephen had been so adamant about putting Tony on the throne as soon as possible that he hadn't really considered how to keep him there. He wasn't sure that was required to complete his task, but honestly... even he wasn't heartless enough to ignore the dilemma that Tony was facing right now.

"I need to be on the throne, huh?" Tony said, finally speaking up. "No matter the cost? The world depends on it?"

"Yes," Stephen said bluntly.

Tony took a deep breath. "I'll be honest... I kind of hate that it actually seems possible now. It was easier to ignore you when I thought it was just the four of us against the world."

"Are you planning to accept their help then?"

"I guess. What alternatives do I have besides going back into hiding and pretending it's not my problem?" Tony's expression focused into a glare as he added, "at least this way, Stane will die. Maybe that's good enough."

There was an alternative. The stones. Stephen wasn't sure how realistic that option was though. They were infamously hard to find and dangerous in the wrong hands. Stephen wasn't sure any one person could handle them without being corrupted. Tony wasn't the kind of person he'd bet on either. But... if he did have the stones, he wouldn't be at the mercy of the other leaders. He'd be able to keep his position on the throne and negotiate from a position of power. That could make all the difference for the people who'd be under his rule.

Stephen's thoughts were interrupted when Tony turned to him and asked, "you... haven't gotten particularly close to Thor, have you?"

Stephen blinked. Where had that question come from? "What do you mean?"

"W-well," Tony frowned, "he was acting weird when Loki brought up that marriage bit. It made me think that he had someone specific in mind. And that's weird because I figured that if he had a thing for someone, I'd know. Unless it was really recent and..." Tony trailed off, blushed slightly in embarrassment, and then coughed to clear his throat. "You two were on your own for awhile."

"It's not me," Stephen said bluntly.

"Right," Tony said, almost sounding relieved. "It was a stupid thought. I don't think Thor is into guys anyway."

Stephen did his best to keep his expression blank. Unfortunately, it must have come off as somewhat unnatural because Tony did notice.

"Wait! Really?" Tony asked in alarm. After thinking about it some more, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he added, "and why do you know that if it isn't you?"

"It's not my place to say."

"Is it Steve?"

Stephen didn't reply.

"Oh shit. It's Steve," Tony said placing his hands on his cheeks, "but he already has Bucky. That's not going to work out."

Stephen didn't want to say anything, but he had to put a stop to Tony's current line of logic. "It's not Steve."

"It has to be Steve. There isn't anyone else. It--" Tony paused for a second. Stephen didn't like that expression. Tony finally finished the thought with, "is it me?"

"No," Stephen replied sharply.

"Oh, good. Because I don't see him that way. I mean, Thor is amazing. Handsome, brave, loyal. He's pretty damn perfect, all things considered. It's just..." Stephen rolled his eyes in the gap between Tony's statements. "If I was going to be attracted to a man, I think I'd go for someone more like you."

Stephen created a portal and walked through it, closing it behind him immediately after. In hindsight, it was a rather extreme response, but how else was he supposed to respond to something like that? He rubbed his forehead as he considered his options. He kind of did have to go back for them. Thor had the space stone, but the less he used it, the better. It had cooperated for him so far, but Stephen had heard that, in some weird sense, the stones had minds of their own. Stephen didn't know how much faith to place in them. In any case, he just... needed a minute. The comment didn't mean anything. He should just ignore it and get on with his life. That decided, he took a deep breath and opened a portal back to Loki's room.

"What happened?" Tony asked once Stephen had returned. He didn't seem to notice that it had been a reaction to what he'd said. That was probably for the best. If Tony thought that some urgent task was behind his sudden disappearance, Stephen was fine letting that belief stand.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Stephen said.

"Right. So, who is it?"

"Back to that, huh?"

"I need to know! It's bothering the crap out of me."

"Then you should ask Thor."

"You're no fun." Tony paused for a second and then asked, "Loki?"

"Isn't Loki his brother?"

"Adopted brother. I wasn't going to judge. Also, that wasn't a no."

"No."

"Eitri?"

"What about Eitri?" Thor asked, rejoining the group. Thank goodness.

"Nothing," Tony said quickly, "you ready to go? We can stay longer if you need more time."

"We can go."

That decided, Stephen created a portal to take them back to Eitri's house. Once there, they gathered the others for a meeting.

"What's our situation?" Steve asked.

"Well, it sounds like I really do have an army if I want it. Problem is, I have no guarantees that they'll be loyal to me and, even if everything does work out, there's no way I won't have to pay for it in some way. That being said, I don't see a realistic alternative," Tony explained.

Thor looked Stephen's way. "What about the stones?"

This was Stephen's chance to discourage the idea. There were so many reasons to do it too. Still, when he looked at Tony, he couldn't help but recall how resigned he'd been back in Loki's room. That wasn't fair. This could very well be the decision that ended up dooming the world, but there was no way of knowing that for sure. Stephen decided to let it be a choice. Tony deserved at least that. "They're an option," Stephen said, "a risky one, but one that could sway things Tony's favor."

"Okay... Anyone want to tell me more?" Tony asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Thor is talking about the Infinity Stones. There are six of them in existence. Each of them grants their user a unique ability. They're powerful enough on their own, but when they're combined, their power is nearly limitless. They've been the cause of several major disasters over the course of history. However, if you were to wield them responsibly..." 

"They'd give me the edge I needed to stand on equal footing with the other leaders," Tony finished.

"Yes," Stephen nodded.

"Finding the stones would take time though, right? And there's no guarantee we'd be able to find them all."

"We don't need to find all of them. Just a couple should suffice," Stephen said.

"And we already have one," Thor said, pulling out the space stone and placing it on the table.

"When did you get that?" Tony asked.

"I'll... explain later," Thor answered with a frown.

Tony looked Stephen's way, meeting his gaze. "What do you think?" he asked.

Stephen sighed. He couldn't believe he was saying this, but looking at things from Tony's perspective... "I'd get the stones. It's the only way you'll have some control over what happens in Ferrum."

"And you're okay with that?"

"...Yes," Stephen said after a moment of hesitation. "I don't think it's enough to just put you on the throne. You need to be able to keep it."

"Then we'll look for the stones. Do we have any leads?"

"I may have a few ideas."

Meredith shifted uncomfortably in her chair before deciding to speak up. She cleared her throat and said, "I appreciate everything you all have done for me, but I can't go looking for stones with you. My son is my priority. I can't just ignore the fact that the Collector has him." It seemed that Steve filled her in on Quill's situation while they were gone-- the little that he knew, anyway. He probably didn't have as much information as Thor did.

"Getting the stones is how we save your son," Thor replied, "we can't go against the Collector without them. Please, trust me on that." His earnest tone seemed to get through to her a little.

Steve's intervention sealed the deal. "We'll get him back, Meredith. Together. But Thor is right. If you want to stand a real chance at saving your son, these stones sound like your best option."

"Alright then," Meredith said with a sigh, "I guess I'm in too."

\-----------------------

Tony couldn't fall asleep. His mind was too preoccupied. Was finding the Infinity Stones really their best option? Or was that just his way of delaying the inevitable? People were going to die while they wasted time looking for them. He knew that. He just hoped that the stones would be worth it in the end. If they really did give him the power to control his fate then maybe... Maybe he'd be able to do enough good to balance out all the bad.

"Can't sleep?" Thor asked quietly.

"I can't," Tony admitted, "there's too much to think about. And... I keep wondering why you've been hiding things from me."

"About the infinity stones?"

"Among other things."

"I didn't know about the stones until recently. That gap of time when Stephen and I were off on our own is when I learned about them."

Okay, that was a fairly decent excuse. Not a lot of time had passed between then and now. "What about the person you like then? How can I not have a single clue who it is? And don't try to deny it. You definitely had someone on your mind when you were talking to Loki."

It was dark, so Tony couldn't see Thor's face, but Tony got the sense that Thor was a little embarrassed. Even so, he gave Tony a surprisingly straightforward answer. "It's Quill," Thor said, "Meredith's son, I mean."

"But... you haven't even met him, have you?"

"I have. Twice," Thor said, "you remember when we stopped at that inn? You and Steve went straight to our room and I stayed downstairs to drink. I ran into Quill there, but I didn't know it was him at the time. And then, he showed up during our battle with Taserface. He used the space stone to teleport himself there. The reason I have it now is because he gave it to me. I didn't mean to hide any of that from you. I just... wasn't sure I should say anything around Meredith. I was afraid that telling her what I know might make her more reckless. Forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" Tony asked with a smile, "you realize that you just made me feel like an ass, right?"

"I did?"

"I kept the fact that I'm royalty from you and I still had the nerve to question you about keeping things from me? Then, the second I do, you just tell me everything? I'd have to be pretty petty to hold a grudge over it at this point. I just hope you can forgive me."

"Always, Tony," Thor chuckled.

"So," Tony started, "what do you like about him?"

"It's hard to say. I don't know him that well yet," Thor said, taking a moment to mull the question over, "I think... he seems fun. Like, when you're with him, you'll never run out of crazy adventures." Tony could practically hear Thor's smile as he added, "there's this infectious resilience to him."

Tony grinned. Yeah, Thor definitely had it bad. Just two meetings, huh? Thor always did have a tendency to fall fast and hard. Honestly, this wasn't the fastest Tony had ever seen Thor take a liking to someone, but it did seem more substantial than his usual crushes if his reaction to Loki's words were anything to go by. Tony just hoped that Quill would be able to reciprocate Thor's feelings. Thor could definitely come on a little strong. "Do you really think the stones will help him?" Tony asked.

"I hope so. I need to find one that can get rid of the mark on the back of his neck."

"Okay. If we do, I promise we'll go save him right away."

"Before we take your throne back?"

"Yeah," Tony said, "I mean, including you, we have three people in our group who'd rest easier knowing he was safe. And... it's important to you. That's all the reason I really need." Thor shifted under his blanket and scooted over until he was on Tony's bedroll. Then, he wrapped Tony in a tight hug. "T-Thor, you're heavy."

"Shhhh. Just accept my undying affection."

"You're making me feel really ridiculous right now."

"Would you two keep it down?" Stephen growled from his own bedroll, "some of us are trying to sleep."

"Right, sorry," Tony said, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

Thor chuckled and then went quiet. He apparently had no intention of letting Tony go though. He kept his arms around Tony as he settled in. Tony let out a sigh and resigned himself to his fate. It was a little embarrassing, but he was comfortable enough. Indulging Thor had its benefits too. Swaddled like a newborn, he found that he was calmer. Maybe falling asleep wouldn't be nearly as impossible now. Tony yawned and then closed his eyes. As long as Thor was with him, he'd figure things out-- no matter how messy the situation got. That thought in mind, he slowly drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

"You look stunning, milady," the servant said with a bit of awe in her voice as Natasha looked her wedding dress over in the mirror. Honestly, it was probably the prettiest dress she'd ever worn and she'd been in her fair share of beautiful gowns before. She couldn't bring herself to smile though. Noticing her expression, the servant asked, "are you not happy with it?"

"That's not it," Natasha sighed. Complaining had worked for a little while, but after the hundredth or so change that she'd demanded, Stane had started punishing the servants he deemed responsible for her disappointment. Honestly, she should have seen that coming. Not wanting anyone else to suffer on her behalf, Natasha had resigned herself to the marriage. "I'm just a little nervous."

"That is understandable," the servant accepted with a nod. "I'd be worried if you weren't nervous. Becoming queen is a big deal. The fact that you understand that bodes well for the kingdom."

For the kingdom. Natasha repeated the words in her head. She'd contemplated breaking Bruce out of his cell and trying to make a run for it, but she had a feeling that wouldn't work. Besides, she couldn't help Clint anymore if she left the castle. The idea that kept her sane was that she might be able to wrap Stane around her finger and get him to move the kingdom in a more positive direction. All it'd cost was everything that she had. She crossed her arms and shuddered at the thought of giving herself to him. Natasha didn't know if she'd be able to do it.

The servant pat her on the shoulder and said, "everything will be alright, my dear."

Natasha gave her a wry smile. "You're right, of course."

"After tomorrow, all those pre-marriage jitters will be a thing of the past."

Natasha carefully took the dress off with some help from the servant and then switched back into her normal clothes. Staying in the castle made her feel like she was going to suffocate. She needed some fresh air.

That thought in mind, she made her way towards the garden and ended up running into Wanda. Her and her brother seemed to have just returned from their mission. At first, Natasha felt a surge of excitement upon seeing Wanda again, but that excitement quickly vanished when she remembered that they'd been sent to deal with Clint. If they were back already... "You've completed your business then?" Natasha asked, trying to keep her tone neutral as she fished for information.

Wanda hesitated, but then said, "not quite."

"I see," Natasha said. She took that answer as good news. "I'm sorry to hear that."

The two of them stared at each other awkwardly for a moment as Pietro tried to figure out what was going on between them. Eventually, Wanda spoke up. "So... you're marrying King Stane?"

"I... am," Natasha admitted with a frown, "and I'm sorry."

"For what? It's not like you could have said no," Wanda said with a sad sigh. Natasha was glad she understood. Still, the resignation in Wanda's voice bothered her a little. She supposed it was because, in a way, they were both giving up on each other-- not that there could have ever been a different outcome. "King Stane gets what he wants. It's better to give it to him before he takes it."

"Are you going to be at the wedding?"

"I don't know. Do you want me to be?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Natasha said quietly.

"Well, I guess we'll see tomorrow."

Natasha nodded.

\-----------------------

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Pietro asked as soon as him and his sister were out of earshot.

"Nothing," Wanda grumbled.

"It was not nothing," Pietro said, "and I know I ignored it when you brought her name up last time, but... You clearly have a thing for her."

Wanda blushed, confirming his suspicions.

"Wanda..."

"How I feel doesn't matter," she growled.

"Of course it does!" Pietro insisted, "are you really okay just letting her go like this?"

"What am I supposed to do, Pietro? Steal her away in the middle of the night and run off with her?"

"We can, you know. If that's what you want to do--"

"Enough! It's not going to happen. We owe Hydra too much to leave them now and besides... I don't know her all that well anyway."

"You sure, sis? You're not going to regret not doing anything?"

"No. Whatever happens to her is none of my business," Wanda said coldly as she straightened her posture, "now, we should really report back."

Pietro sighed, "yeah. I'm not looking forward to that."

\-----------------------

Wanda and Pietro were surprised to find that Bucky had returned to the castle as well. They hoped he'd have some good news to balance out their bad news but, as it turned out, he'd also failed in his task. To make matters worse, it seemed that Tony now had a sorcerer on his side, one that was able to make portals to other places. That was something that Wanda couldn't do with her own magic. Bucky had no chance of catching up to them as long as they knew he was on their trail. The Red Skull listened to his report quietly, but all three of them could tell that he was secretly seething with rage. When Bucky finally finished, the Red Skull turned to Wanda and Pietro and said, "tell me you two have some good news, at least."

Peitro and Wanda exchanged an uncomfortable look. "We do not," Wanda admitted, deciding that being blunt was the best course of action, "we fought Clint and his companions, but ended up losing the battle."

"And you thought that giving up was an option?" he asked coldly.

"No. During our fight, I got a glimpse of Clint's memories. I found out that he's teamed up with Thanos. They intend to form an army to attack Ferrum and, unfortunately, Clint has convinced Wakanda to join forces with them. I thought relaying this news to you was more important than pursuing Clint so we came back."

The Red Skull let out a tired sigh. "You are correct, of course. The consequences of King Stane's actions have become rather inconvenient to us as of late." The venom in Red Skull's tone was palpable. Wanda imagined that the two of them must have gotten into an argument recently. Maybe over Natasha? Red Skull would definitely have wanted Stane to marry for political gain. And, as amazing as Natasha was, she didn't hold a lot of land, resources, or an army. All he was getting was her-- which was a lot in its own right, but Wanda doubted Red Skull would see it that way. "I want more details from all of you."

\-----------------------

The more time passed, the more nervous Clint became as him and the rest of the non-human members of his group waited for Nakia to return. As the only one who wasn't a wanted criminal, she'd gone ahead to scout out the situation in the city. She'd assured them that she'd be fine, but Clint couldn't help but imagine the worst case scenarios. If she got killed because she was helping him...  
Gamora nudged Clint and pointed Nakia out as she came into view. Once Nakia made sure nobody was watching her, she made a right turn into the trees and regrouped with the others.

"What'd you find out?" Drax asked in a low whisper.

"Not what you'd expect," Nakia replied with a frown, "Natasha doesn't seem to be in any danger of being executed, but she is marrying King Stane tomorrow afternoon."

"What?" Clint asked, eyes going wide, "but that doesn't make any sense. The two that attacked us had to have made it here before us. He should know what she's been doing by now."

Nakia shrugged. "Maybe the two we faced off against had some reason to stay quiet or maybe Stane doesn't care. Maybe he feels like there's no need to execute her as long as he can make her fall in line."

Mantis bristled at that comment.

"In any case, we'll get her out of there before anything happens," Nakia said in a determined voice. She tossed Clint a bottle and pulled out a couple of sets of clothing that Clint recognized as outfits the castle servants wore.

"What's this?" Clint asked, uncorking the bottle.

"Hair dye," Nakia said, "I figured that and a new set of clothes should keep people from immediately recognizing you. I hope you're okay with having black hair for awhile."

"That's fine, but... do you really think that'll work? The other nobles know my face."

"Nobles don't pay much attention to servants," Gamora pointed out, "I doubt they'll notice you as long as you adopt the right posture. Get rid of some of that pride of yours and you'll be fine."

"Also, I'll be joining you," Nakia added, "if anyone starts to suspect, I'll distract them."

"It's as good a plan as we're going to get on short notice," Rocket said.

"I don't like that we won't be there to help though," Mantis said with a troubled frown.

"You guys can defend our escape route," Clint said, "I know it's not as involved as you'd like to get, but--"

"We will defend it with our lives," Drax said seriously.

"I am Groot," Groot agreed.

That decided, Nakia helped Clint dye his hair. It was... definitely different. Clint wasn't sure he liked it. The girls assured him he looked fine, though Gamora admitted that she preferred his natural hair color. Mantis seemed to think it gave him a 'tall, dark, and handsome' aura. Either way, he was more convinced that his old acquaintances wouldn't recognize him now. Him and Nakia put on the servant clothes to complete the look and had the group look them over to make sure there wasn't anything immediately wrong with their disguises.

"Nah. Looks fine to me," Rocket said. "Except that hair. Yuck."

"I kind of like it," Mantis pouted.

Clint rolled his eyes and turned to Nakia. "Shall we get going?" he asked.

"Let's," Nakia agreed.

"Clint," Gamora started, stopping him briefly, "be careful."

Clint nodded.

"I see how it is," Nakia said with a dramatized sigh, "only worried about Clint, huh?"

"T-that's not what I meant," Gamora stammered.

"It's okay. I can handle myself and Clint is a bit of a mess, isn't he? It's only natural you'd worry about him more."

Gamora smiled at that. "True enough. Take care. Both of you."

"And bring back a souvenir," Rocket added.

\-----------------------

Natasha was about to turn in for the night when she heard a knock at her door. She quickly combed through her hair with her hand to make herself slightly more presentable and then answered it. At the door was the last person she wanted to see. "Good evening," she said, faking a smile at Stane. "What did you need, handsome?"

"To see my lovely bride to be," Stane said with a hiccup. Natasha could smell the alcohol on his breath immediately.

"Well, you've seen her. Now, why don't you go get some rest for the big day tomorrow?"

"I was thinking about that," Stane said, putting his hand on the door frame. Natasha noted that it was an action that'd make it harder to shut the door. "I know you asked me to wait to kiss you, but that doesn't mean we have to wait on other things." He reached forward and tugged on her night gown. She made the mistake of stepping backward. In doing so, she let go of her hold on the door and he came stumbling in.

"This isn't proper," Natasha said, trying to muster up some authority that might reach him in his drunken state, "you need to go back to your room."

"A king doesn't need to do anything that he doesn't want to do," Stane replied with a lecherous grin. He lunged at Natasha. She sidestepped the attack and went for the door. "Come back here, you bitch!"

Natasha didn't listen. She ran out of the room and into the hallway. She wasn't sure where she planned to go, but as long as it was away from him, it was fine. Unfortunately, Stane was determined. He quickly closed the distance and yanked her back by her hair. A servant saw what was happening, but when Stane barked, "what are you looking at?" the servant quickly ran off. Natasha pulled away, but Stane put an arm around her torso and lifted her up. He then put her over his shoulder and carried her back to her room as she screamed.

She didn't know why she bothered. Nobody was going to help her. The servant turning a blind eye to what was happening had made that clear. What was she fighting for anyway? Even if he didn't take her today, he'd take her tomorrow. It was going to feel just as bad with her coerced consent. Tears welled up in Natasha's eyes as Stane threw her onto the bed and pinned her wrists above her head. She went stiff, doing what she could to mentally block out the situation.

"That's a good girl," Stane said, licking his lips as he hovered over her. "Nice and easy, just like--"

Suddenly, a red aura surrounded Stane. His eyes widened in confusion as he was lifted into the air. Then, he was tossed against the far wall like a rag doll. The speed of the throw resulted in a sickening crack as his head made contact with the stone. Stane fell limply to the ground. Natasha sat up to see Wanda standing in the doorway, that same red aura emanating from her for a few more seconds before vanishing. Once she was sure Stane wasn't going to get up suddenly, Wanda immediately went to Natasha's side, concern clear on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes," Natasha said, working through her shock, "I'm fine, but..."

Pietro stood in the doorway now, but his attention was wholly fixated on something other than the two of them. He put both of his hands on his head in horror as he asked, "what have you done, Wanda?"

"What do you..." Wanda trailed off when she looked at Stane. Natasha assumed she hadn't realized she'd thrown him that hard. Now that they were both looking carefully, however, they could see that part of Stane's head was actually caved in. There was no surviving an attack like that. "H-he's dead?"

"You think?" Pietro growled.

"I didn't mean to! I just--"

"I know, but you did, Wanda. This is bad. Really bad."

"What do we do?"

"We run. All three of us. Now."

Wanda nodded and took Natasha by the hand. They were just about to head for the door when a third person showed up-- the Red Skull himself.

"That won't be necessary," he said, stepping into the room and walking past Pietro to get to Stane's corpse.

"What do you mean?"

He kicked the corpse over to get a better look at the head injury as he continued speaking. "He was dragging us down anyway. I think it's time Hydra took this kingdom for itself."

"The people won't just accept you as king though."

"The people," Red Skull started, pulling a red stone out from under his cloak, "don't have to know that anything has changed." As he said it, the Red Skull's body shifted, turning into a perfect copy of Stane.

"T-that's... the reality stone," Natasha said in awe.

"Hm. Well, you are a smart one, I'll give you that," Red Skull said, "maybe marrying you wasn't Stane's worst idea. Pietro, dispose of Stane's body and, Wanda, make sure Natasha cooperates. Otherwise, we'll be replacing her shortly as well." The Red Skull turned to leave before stopping short and issuing one more order, "Oh, and be sure to get some rest, Natasha. We have a wedding to attend tomorrow."

\-----------------------

Clint had been about to barge into Natasha's room when Nakia pulled him back. She got him to cover just in time for them to avoid being spotted as the brunette that had attacked them before ran into the room. From there, things only got crazier. Nakia and Clint couldn't see what was going on, but they could hear-- the harsh crack, the confusion over Stane's sudden death, and the mention of something called the Reality Stone.

Once they were sure that Natasha was safe for now and that they'd learned all they were going to for the time being, they ducked into an empty room to reassess their situation. "The Reality Stone," Nakia commented, "to think that they had one of the infinity stones this whole time."

Clint couldn't focus on the stones right now. He couldn't even focus on Natasha. All he could think about was Stane. He clenched his hands into fists and kicked the wall. 

"Fuck him! Fuck him, how could he just die like that? It was supposed to be more painful than that. And I... I was the one that was supposed to kill him. So why?" Clint's voice cracked as tears trailed down his cheeks. He knew he was being petty. All that should have mattered was that Stane was dead. And yet... Clint felt so empty.

Nakia pulled Clint into a hug. She didn't say anything, probably because she already knew there was no magical combination of words that would make him feel better. But her holding him... That helped. He hugged her back and sobbed into his shoulder. A part of him felt weak for relying on her, but another part of him knew that he needed this. He'd needed something like this for a long time. It was his pride that had kept him from asking for it.


End file.
